Endless Highway
by ashlynnb14
Summary: Sequel to Long Road Home: Ana Knowles is dealing with becoming an Old Lady and Opie being in prison. Can she find the strength within herself and her new family to cope with all of the recent changes in her life? Starts while SAMCRO is serving their 14 months and Opie is inside instead of Happy. I do not own any Sons of Anarchy characters, only my own characters and ideas.
1. Chapter 1

The doctor walked in with a big smile on her face and my medical chart in her hands. My sister sat in the hard plastic chair by the wall with anticipation etched all over her face. Both of them seemed over the moon about the child I was having with a man that just went to prison for fourteen months. Personally, I longed to hear that the test had been wrong. I just wanted those two pink lines to be the universe playing an evil prank on me.

"Anastasia, congratulations! You are in fact pregnant. Now, it's still very early on, maybe as little as three weeks. You're blood work looks great for this stage, so just make sure to limit any physically dangerous activities." The doctor was nodding and smiling as if the look on my face was one of pleasure. I was in fact crying, maybe she thought they were happy tears. Tara definitely thought so.

"Do you have any questions? Okay, well just make sure to give me a call if you need anything and we'll see you back in four weeks, okay?" I hadn't nodded or responded in any fashion. She left the room after patting my knee softly.

"Ana! Are you in there?" Tara asked with a laugh as she waved a hand in front of my face. I looked over at her and nodded as I slid down from the examination table. I didn't even feel my feet on the ground as I walked down the pastel colored hallway that was littered with pictures and posters of smiling babies and pregnancy pamphlets. It felt like their unwavering smiles were mocking me.

"Where to?" Tara asked as I buckled into the passenger seat of her suv. I shrugged and pulled my sunglasses over my eyes to block the tears that were on the verge of falling again. In true doctor fashion, Tara tried to fix everything with a smile.

"Let's go celebrate somewhere. Anywhere you want to eat." She was smiling and strumming her steering wheel with her thumbs. Eating was the second to last thing I wanted to do, second only to celebrating. I leaned my head against the window and sighed.

"Let's just go to the clubhouse." I didn't have to look at Tara to know she was frowning. She was being a wonderful sister and supporting me 100%, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her I wasn't happy. It was probably obvious, but if I didn't tell her she could pretend I was just in shock or something.

"So, when are you telling Opie?" Tara asked cheerfully as she turned left out of the hospital parking lot. I closed my eyes to keep my tears at bay.

"I'll wait a few weeks. You're a doctor. You know the first few weeks have the highest chances of miscarriage. I wouldn't want to tell him I was pregnant and then turn around and tell him I lost it. He's got enough on his plate." I glanced over at her and saw her head bobbing with a nod.

"Do you need me to help with laundry or anything?" I extended an olive branch to my sister that had to raise two kids while her old man was sitting in a cell with mine. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, that's okay. Gemma came by yesterday and finished it up. The boys are with the sitter until five. You're still welcome to come visit though." She sounded hopeful as she pulled into Teller-Morrow Automotive. I nodded to acknowledge the invitation without giving any type of commitment.

Gemma caught sight of Tara before she even closed the driver's door. She called her over to the office before giving me a friendly wave. I held up my hand in response and headed into the clubhouse. As soon as I opened the door, I felt my heart get heavier. It was too quiet with far too little cigarette smoke in the air. Even the absence of Tig's laughter pulled at my seams.

"Ana." I turned around and saw Happy Lowman standing behind me in jeans and a mechanic shirt. His face was void of any emotion and he towered over me like a giant. I wrapped my arms around him and hid my face on his shoulder. His hugging response time had been picking up the last week or so, and he hugged me to him tightly.

"Doctor confirmed the diagnosis." I muttered as we continued to stand in the entranceway hugging like someone had just died. He nodded silently and loosened his arms slightly. I shook my head and sighed before stepping back and cramming my hands in the pockets of my jeans. Happy nodded towards the bar and waited for me to head in that direction.

"You have options." He said quietly as a croweater with caked on foundation two shades darker than her skin walked over and poured him a beer. I waved her away, irrationally blaming her for even thinking I'd be able to quench my thirst for a shot or a beer.

"I know that. It's part of the problem." I muttered as I threw a dart at the board behind the bar. It stuck in the wall three inches from the outermost ring. Happy grabbed the rest of the darts and pushed them out of my reach.

"You talked to Ope about it?" He glanced over at me as I shook my head. In fact, I hadn't talked to my old man at all since he'd gone inside. I knew that he was safe and that's all I really needed at the moment. I surveyed the bar before looking over at Happy.

"You staying here tonight?" I spoke quietly, just in case anyone was hiding under the bar. There wasn't anything dishonest or scandalous going on between Happy and I, but we didn't want to be the subject of the croweater's gossip circle.

"Nah, got it in earlier." He smirked as I made a disgusted face and punched him in the arm. Ever since Opie had been carted away, Happy had been staying at my place a few nights a week. I hated being alone in the house and he felt the need to protect me.

"Ana, I'm starving. Are you sure you don't want to try that new Mexican place?" Tara was smiling as she walked in to the bar. I spun the seat around and tossed my hands up in surrender.

"Fine, let's go." I smiled at how happy Tara seemed to be with the small win I'd given her. She was doing her best to be a sister and a mother to me on top of being an actual mother and old lady. I figured she could use all the wins she could get.

"See you later, Happy!" Tara called as she pushed the door open with her back. He raised his beer at her before turning back to the bar and the blonde throwing her boobs across the counter at him.

"Hey baby." I fought back tears as Opie pulled me into his arms and kissed me. It had been five weeks since he'd gotten locked up and this was the first time I'd come to visitation. I'd stayed away while I thought things through and weighed all of my options.

"Hey munchkin. God, I've missed seeing you." He whispered as he cupped my face with his palm. I leaned my head into his hand and smiled. Seeing him made me feel like everything was okay, at least for the next fifty-five minutes. I sat down across from him and took in his smile and brightened eyes in silence for a couple minutes.

"You doing okay?" He asked gently. I inhaled deeply and nodded with a weak smile. I didn't want to tell him how I cried myself to sleep more often than not. I didn't want to tell him how I'd taken all of my clothes out of the closet so I didn't have to see his every time I opened the door to get dressed. I wanted him to know I was breathing on my own and even ate more than twice per day, sometimes.

"Opie, I need to tell you something." I saw his face drop at the sound of my words. He obviously feared the worst since our fight about the prison clause last week. I had yelled at him for even bringing up my "right" to use the prison clause to fuck someone while he was locked up. The very idea made me want to slap him through the phone.

"What's this?" He asked as I slid an envelope over to him. I wondered why no one could actually open envelopes and look at the contents before asking questions. I didn't answer him and waited nervously as he pulled the pictures out. He flipped through the three pieces of paper slowly.

"Ana, you're pregnant?" He asked the question with such hesitation that I wanted to grab the pictures and deny it all. Instead, I nodded. A smile spread across his face as he looked down at the pictures again.

"Going on eight weeks. The doctor said I'm due around New Years." I said with a little laugh. Opie leaned across the table and kissed me, deeper than he had earlier. As I kissed him again, I felt a small amount of weight lift off my shoulders. The guard called out a warning and Opie pulled away slowly.

"I'm sorry about last week, Ana. I shouldn't have even brought it up. Can I have these?" He smiled brightly and looked back down at the ultrasound pictures. I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, of course. I have an appointment in a couple weeks so you can add to the collection." I said with as I ran my hand up his arm. He caught it and turned my arm over. I bit down on the inside of my cheeks as he ran his thumb over the roman numerals tattooed on the inside of my wrist: ** .MCMLXXXII**

"That's new. What's it for?" He asked with a small smile. I looked down at it and grinned.

"It's Briana's birthday." My voice was stronger than it normally was when I talked about Briana. Ever since getting the ink, talking about my fallen comrade and best friend had gotten a little easier. Opie nodded and I could tell he was struggling to keep the smile on his face.

"When did you get that, baby?" I knew he was going to ask that question and I knew what his reaction would be. It was the same reaction everyone had.

"Two weeks ago. Don't give me that look, Opie. There's no data that it's dangerous for the baby. The biggest risk is infection or dirty needles and Happy did it so that's not even a problem." Opie let go of my wrist and shook his head. I narrowed my eyes and put my hand in my lap.

"Ana, is it really worth the risk?" His words lit a fire in me that I'd tried to keep at bay. I laughed darkly and leaned forward.

"Did you ask yourself that before you raided a church service with illegal weapons?" His frown morphed into a scowl as he stared into my eyes. He had no idea what it was like for me to lose him being by my side. He'd been my crutch. I was trying to climb back up to my own two feet and he wanted to bitch about the timing of a tattoo that got me through the medicine cabinet without opening up a bottle of pain pills.

"That wasn't my call, Ana. You made this choice. Does Hap even know you're pregnant?" Opie folded his arms across his chest and towered above me, even sitting down. I felt like a little kid being scolded by a parent. I wanted to lash out. I wanted to tell him how I'd told Happy the day I'd found out. I wanted to tell him how I'd forced Happy to read the card I wasn't able to give him before he got arrested, but I couldn't.

"No, he doesn't know." I didn't know if I lied more to protect Happy or myself. Either way, I lied and spared all three of us from a lot of trouble.

"Look, just don't get any more ink before the baby's born, munchkin. I love you, Ana. We're going to be okay. I'll even change diapers when I get out." His voice was softer and I smiled at the thought of him learning how to change a diaper. I nodded and gave my other hand back to him. My crow tattoo was on full display as we finished out the visitation talking about names and whether it would be blonde or brunette like him.

I left the prison and couldn't tell if I was more or less stressed than I was before I went in. There was still a lot I hadn't told him. I hadn't told him about buying a Jeep or putting my house up for sell. I sighed and closed the driver's door behind me. I smacked Happy's chest with the back of my hand.

"I told you not to come. You haven't slept all week." I said as I started the engine. He scowled at me and brushed my comment off before going back to sleep. I shook my head and pulled out of the prison parking lot to head back to the safety of Charming.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tara**

"What's going on with your sister, Tara? She having a hard time with Ope being inside?" Gemma jumped straight into questioning me before I even had Thomas covered with his blanket. I shook my head and turned away from the crib once I was sure Thomas wasn't going to fuss. Abel was already napping in his toddler bed and I could feel Gemma's eyes on me as I covered him with his Harley Davidson blanket that he refused to leave out of sight.

"Ana is doing the best she can. She's never been great at people leaving her. Now, she can pack up and disappear without a second thought or regret if she feels like it, but being left doesn't suit her well. It's just going to take some time." I sat down on the couch and pulled a leg underneath me as Gemma fixed a pot of tea. If it wasn't for her and Ana, I wouldn't be able to function anymore. Between the boys and work, my energy was wearing thin. I would never trade my family for the world, but I wish Jax were able to be here. It wasn't that he was that much help around the house, but he was great with the boys and he was my rock.

"You think she'll stick around though?" Gemma handed me a mug with a raised brow. I nodded as she took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. Opie and Ana were solid and she definitely wouldn't leave two months pregnant. She had finally told Opie about the baby last week, but she still wasn't ready for everyone else to know. Part of me wondered if she held the news back because someone might realize she wasn't entirely thrilled about having a baby. Ana had never expressed any real desire to have children over the years.

There was a knock at the door and I jumped up to answer it, fearing that the visitor would ring the doorbell and wake the boys. I threw the door open to see a smiling Ana on the other side. She walked inside and headed straight for the kitchen. Her cravings had been in full swing recently, and I knew better than to get in her way.

"Your old man isn't going to recognize you with all the new ink, Ana." Gemma called as the back of Ana's shirt lifted up to show a new tattoo on her lower back. She struggled to reach a mug off the top shelf and finally gave up, shrugging as she turned around and grabbed one out of the dishwasher. I held my tongue and hoped the look I was giving her conveyed the disapproval I was sending her way.

"That's why my crow is easy to see. It's like a nametag. Tara, you got any honey and marshmallows?" Ana finished washing the mug out and looked over to me expectantly. I nodded and pointed at the grocery bag on the counter. She smiled and dug out the ingredients for the nastiest hot chocolate recipe she'd made up last week.

"How far along are you?" Gemma asked as Ana sat down between us, drizzling copious amounts of honey over a layer of melting marshmallows. Gemma Morrow-Teller was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. Ana closed the cap to the honey and sucked the stickiness off of her thumb as she hitched a shoulder.

"Ten weeks, according to the doctor. Surprise." I could recognize my sister's fake smile better than anyone else. It was the same one she would use when the social workers tried to counsel us on our mother's death. Ana would just smile and say everything was okay. I tried to hide my sigh by blowing on the hot tea in my mug.

"Congratulations, darlin'! I knew something was up with you. That nasty ass drink gave it away though." Gemma gave Ana a kiss on the cheek and smiled as if she was gaining another grandchild. No matter how tough Gemma was, she was a sucker for babies. Ana was still faking a smile as she nodded. Now that the cat was out of the bag, I decided to go ahead and confront my sister before my backup left.

"I thought you told Opie you wouldn't get any more tattoos until after the baby came." She dropped the fake smile and shook her head before putting her mug down on a coaster. Gemma raised her brow and seemed curious to hear what Ana had to say.

"I never told him that. He asked me not to get any new ink and then said he was going to change diapers. I nodded about him and the diapers, not the tattoos. Don't give me that look, Tara. The baby's fine." She rolled her eyes and leaned her shoulders back against the couch, mindful not to let her lower back come in contact with anything. Gemma's brow raised and she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Sweetheart, does Happy even know you're pregnant?" Ana shot up from the seat as if something had bitten her. Gemma and I were both shocked at her sudden movement. I could see anger blazing behind her eyes.

"Yeah, Gemma, Happy knows I'm pregnant. He fucking knew the day I found out. Just so happens it was the same day your husband's shit leadership landed my old man in prison for fourteen months. I was going to tell Opie but, because of Clay, he was hauled off in cuffs while I had the fucking congratulations card in my hand. So yeah, Happy fucking knows." If her screaming at Gemma hadn't woken the boys up, the glass shattering out of the front door certainly did. The bang and crash from Ana slamming the door on her way out was shortly followed by the wails of Thomas and Abel.

Gemma and I were frozen in place as my boys loudly objected to being woken up. Ana hadn't told me anything that she just blew up on Gemma about. As far as I knew, she only had a suspicion a couple days before we went to the doctor together. It hurt a little to know that Happy knew before I did, but what hurt more was the realization that Ana had been internalizing so much pain. I couldn't deny that the amount of pain she just revealed had me worried she was taking something to help her cope. It wasn't just her health she needed to worry about any more.

"I've got the boys, Tara. You need to take care of that sister of yours. Pregnant and hormonal or not, she needs to remember who she's talking to." Gemma rose from the couch and headed down the hall to the nursery. I rubbed my palms over my eyes in attempts to better understand what had just happened. With a shake of my head, I rose from the couch as well and headed out to my car.

It had been three hours since Ana stormed out of my house and I still couldn't find her. Her new house was full of boxes waiting to be unpacked, but no Ana. I drove by her old house, the cemetery, and the clubhouse to no avail. She'd long since turned her phone off and I was starting to panic. After checking the park we'd frequented when we were younger, I headed back to the clubhouse. My anxiety only got worse when I thought about telling Happy and Chibs she was missing.

To make matters worse, the chapel doors were closed when I rushed into the clubhouse for the second time in a matter of hours. Rat, a fairly new prospect, looked up from the gun he was cleaning. I was pacing in front of the chapel as I watched the minute hand on the clock. If they weren't out in the next few minutes, I was going to knock on the door.

"Tara, you okay?" Rat had a soft voice and looked concerned over my obvious worry. I shook my head and pointed towards the doors.

"Are they almost done?" He looked from me to the doors and shrugged his shoulders apologetically. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before taking one last look at the clock and connecting my fist with the sacred wooden doors. I heard griping and heavy footsteps before one of the doors flew open. Chibs narrowed his eyes, but the anger behind them quickly dissipated.

"Tara, what's tha matter?" Chibs took my shoulders in his hands as frustrated tears started to fall. I was exhausted and I just wanted my sister to be safe, even if she was pissed off.

"Have any of you seen Ana?" I finally managed to ask as my training in crisis management kicked in enough to slow my breathing. Happy came to stand beside Chibs and gave me a questioning look.

"This morning. What happened?" I didn't know him nearly as well as some of the other Sons, but I could tell his infamous sixth sense was kicking in. I knew I had to talk quickly or risk him getting angrier than his normal, constant state.

"She flipped out on Gemma earlier and I haven't been able to find her sense. She turned her phone off and I've looked everywhere. Her new place, old place, park, cemetery, here, even Opie's place." Happy ran his hand over the short hair that could just barley be seen growing on his scalp. Chibs seemed to relax a little and shook his head.

"Lass, I'm sure she's fine. Ya know she don't like ta be around people when she's pissed." Chibs was using his prior knowledge of Ana's temper to calm me down. He had no idea she was pregnant.

"Stay here in case she comes back. Call me as soon as her ass pulls into the lot." Happy brushed past me and headed out of the clubhouse. I looked at the second slammed door today as the sound of Happy's Dyna filled the air.

"The hell is going on, Tara?" Kozik had taken Happy's place behind Chibs and he looked at me in utter confusion. I repeated everything I'd just told Chibs and Happy. Kozik looked like he wanted to ask something, but a phone started vibrating on the Redwood table behind him. He ducked back in the chapel and grabbed the pre-pay, handing it directly over to Chibs.

"Aye? Opie, hey brother. Ana? No, she's not. Aye, hold on." He held the phone out to me and I grimaced, reluctant to tell Opie the truth or lie to him. I swallowed hard.

"Tara? You talked to Ana? I tried calling her a couple times, but her phone's off. Her burner is off to." I didn't even know she had a burner. I glanced up at Chibs and felt like I was going to be sick.

"Yeah, Ope. She's sleeping off some sickness from earlier. I'm sorry. I can wake her up if you want." I prayed he wouldn't ask me to. Chibs raised his brow and threw his hands up, baffled by my blatant lie.

"No, that's okay. Just got worried. Tell her I'll call tomorrow. See if she can't talk Pop into coming down from the cabin." I agreed and closed the phone quickly, not even asking if he needed to talk to Chibs any further.

"Ya want ta tell me what tha fuck is going on?" Chibs rarely ever raised his tone at an old lady. I frowned and nodded, hoping he wouldn't be upset about Ana being pregnant.

**ANA**

I didn't even bother looking up when I heard the v-twin engine shut off. There were only two people that would know I'd be here and one of them wasn't going to be riding a Harley for another year. Happy came up from behind me as I swung my legs back and forth over the water. It was hard to think that this was probably where the child growing inside of me was conceived, less than a month before Opie went away.

"At least turn the fucking burner on." Happy growled as he squatted down on the dock. I glanced over at him and pointed into the water. His eyes darkened and he shook his head. I shrugged.

"There's no point getting pissed off. Some fish probably ate it already." I climbed up to my feet and followed Happy's eyes as he rose above me. They were still dark, but I could tell he wasn't as pissed as he wanted me to believe.

"Little girl, you're about to get mad at me but I don't give a shit. You need to snap out of it. You ain't the first old lady to be knocked up with an old man inside. Shit, at least he's gettin' out before it can drive. I ain't got time to track your ass down when you scare your sister to death." His voice was raspy and his words were harsh, but I knew he was right.

"I miss him, Happy. I didn't ask for this shit. I didn't ask to get knocked up with a kid I never even knew I wanted." I found myself crying for the first time since I'd told Opie I was pregnant. My tears soaked through Happy's shirt quickly as he held me to his chest.

"I know you miss him, Ana. Why don't you grab some shit and go up to the cabin for a few days. Call in to work. You ain't much use there knocked up anyway." He smirked at my scowl. I'd had to take up the roll of appointment setting and lecturing for the defense classes I'd been instructing. The only thing I could teach was the gun safety and handling class every other week. My savings and the cashed out GI bill were still intact, but I couldn't stand the down time of not working like I used to.

"Fine. Maybe I can drink vicariously through Piney. Don't tell Tara where I am. Just tell her I'm safe and I'll turn my personal phone back on and get a new burner from Piney and send you the number to give to Ope." We were walking back towards the driveway where my Jeep and his bike were parked. I tried not to look at the cabin I'd shared with Opie.

I ran my fingertips over the compass and arrow tattoo I'd gotten earlier that morning. I knew Opie would shit when he found out I got yet another tattoo, but it kept me distracted from the hydrocodone I knew I had packed in the box labeled LIVINGROOM. Besides, the arrow and compass reminded me that things that may seem to hold me back only move me forward and towards my goals. Happy had asked why I had to be so complicated. I asked if he expected everyone to get smiley tattoos and snakes.

Over the next seven months, I stopped getting new tattoos and started talking to Opie more. It took him a little while to get over the fact that I'd gotten another tattoo after the one on my wrist, but understood when I gave him the real reason. He gave me input on paint colors for the new house that I'd finally finished moving in to and appreciated that I stopped riding my Iron 883 and driving the Jeep instead. There were still things I didn't tell him about, like how I'd told Happy about the baby first or how he'd known I was pregnant when I'd gotten both new tattoos. I also didn't tell Opie about the croweater that I'd put in the hospital for running her mouth about explicit escapades she wanted to have with him. Other than that, I was completely open with Opie ever since I'd blown up at Gemma.

"Baby, you look like you're going to pop at any second." Opie said as he rubbed his hand over my stomach. I was due at the end the week and had refused to skip my visit with him, despite his concerns. The guards were a little more lenient with visitation since they'd seen my stomach grow over the past few months. Opie sat beside me at visits for the last two months and our kisses lasted a little longer.

"If that's your way of telling me I'm fat, I already know that. She's staying put until Saturday, Ope." He smirked and shook his head as our daughter kicked at his hand as it rested over her. I laughed and rubbed my stomach in small, soothing circles. She wasn't even born yet and she was already a Daddy's girl. Kicks and punches never happened as frequently as they did when I was with Opie.

"Harper might have other plans about when she's vacating, munchkin. You aren't driving are you?" I shook my head to confirm that Happy was in fact waiting out in the Jeep for me. Opie smiled and nodded before placing a soft kiss on my lips and then the top of my stomach. I felt another round of kicks and groaned.

"Winston, time's up." The guard gave me an apologetic smile and pointed up to the clock on the wall. The hour had flown by and I started to panic. This was the last time I would get to see him until after Harper was born. I hugged him tightly and kissed his neck and cheek as many times as possible before he stood up. The guard looked down at her feet and walked as slowly as she could.

"You'll do great, baby. I love you, Anastasia Knowles." I smiled and nodded, kissing him forcefully as he put his wrists behind his back for the guard to cuff him.

"I love you, Opie Winston." I managed to contain my tears and wave as he was led back towards the housing units. He smiled brightly and winked before disappearing around a corner. I walked back outside with hormonal emotions swirling around in my heart and head. It was one of the best visits I'd had with Opie in a while, but I hated that it was over so soon. By the time I reached the Jeep, I decided to focus on the positive and smile.

"Do you mind stopping at the gas station so I can get some chips?" I batted my eyes at Happy and folded my hands in a prayer like fashion. He laughed and nodded while he pulled out onto the road.

"I'll be glad when you aren't so damn needy, little girl." He teased before turning the radio up. I flipped him off and shifted in the seat, completely uncomfortable in my late stage of pregnancy.

"Grab me some cigarettes." Happy called as he inserted my debit card into the pump to get some fuel. I nodded and waddled into the gas station. The teenage attendant smiled sweetly as I headed back towards the snacks. Harper was kicking away as I traced my crow tattoo with my fingertips, hoping it would help me decide on a flavor of chips.

"Nice tattoo." A man said as he stopped next to me. I glanced down and realized what he was referring to. The craving I'd had for chips suddenly disappeared as I forced a smile.

"Thanks." I turned away and headed towards the doors. I could see Happy leaning against the Jeep and talking on the phone, his eyes trained on me. I breathed a little easier, convincing myself I was just paranoid.

"Can I get a pack of Marlboro Reds?" The young girl behind the counter smiled and nodded before turning around to grab the cigarettes. Before her hand reached the carton, I felt a sharp pain in my back, followed by three more. I heard myself scream out as I crumpled down to the floor. There were two loud gunshots, breaking glass and a loud thud as warm liquid started pouring down my back. Someone was still screaming as Happy's face came into focus. I felt my lip quiver before slipping into unconsciousness.

**Ah, the dreaded cliffhanger. Never fear, I plan on having the next chapter up soon, if not tonight. Thank you to all the readers and reviewers I've gotten for this story so far :) I'm glad you all seem as excited as I am.**


	3. Chapter 3

**TARA**

"Have you called Opie?" I looked at Chibs as he shook his head slowly. I nodded and pulled my facemask back up. It was against protocol and several laws for me to help in a surgery that involved my sister or niece, but I didn't care. Ana was in critical condition on the operating table and we were trying to wait as long as possible to take Harper. My scrubs were covered in blood as I stood in the waiting room talking to Chibs.

"Call him, now. Have you heard from Roosevelt?" I wanted to get back into the operating room but I knew if, when, Ana woke up, she'd want to know about Harper, Opie and Happy. Chibs already had his phone out, ready to make the call to Opie.

"Aye, the clerk gave 'im tha surveillance tapes and backed up Happy's story. Roosevelt likes Ana so he's gonna make the gun charges disappear to. He should be here in tha hour. Kozik and Rat are waiting for him. Phil went ta get Piney." He spoke quickly and held the phone to his ear before finishing the update. I nodded and headed back into the depths of the hospital.

"Status." I called into the room as I rescrubbed my hands and arms. The nurse and doctor gave me a rundown of both Ana and Harper's conditions. Ana was far worse off than Harper, but had at least improved a little since I'd gone to update Chibs. I almost smiled when an alarm monitoring Harper's vitals sounded loudly.

**OPIE**

"What do you fucking mean she was attacked? She was just fucking here!" I slammed my fist into the metal door of the cell and gripped the phone tightly against my ear. Jax was on his feet, pacing the cell and looking to me for any information on what was going on. Chibs finished giving me all the information he had and I slid my back down the door as I ended the call. I snapped the phone shut and buried my face in my hands.

"Ope, what's going on?" I didn't move to look at Jax. Sobs rocked my body as I broke down in front of my brother and long time, closest friend. Ana, the mother of my unborn daughter, the woman I loved was just attacked in a fucking gas station. Here I was, sitting in a fucking concrete box, helpless.

"I can't lose her, Jax." I finished relaying the information Chibs had and looked into Jax's eyes. He was pissed, naturally, but I could tell he was almost as upset as I was. We'd all known one another since elementary school. We were all family.

"Tara's there with her, brother. She saved Wendy and Abel. There's no fucking way she'd let anything happen to Ana or Harper." I nodded, hoping he was right.

**TARA**

She was the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. Her dark hair stood out against her light skin and she was already proving to be a happy baby. Other than the initial screaming of being forced out of the womb, Harper hadn't cried so much as whimpered ever so often. She was healthy and alert, much to everyone's relief and delight.

Ana's blood pressure was climbing back towards normal levels and Dr. Splight assured me she would recover completely. The nurses were relieved when I told Happy and the others. They had been pacing around and snapping at anyone in earshot. Gemma had gone so far as pushing a little LPN into the wall for not giving them any information.

She had gotten lucky, had the knife been less than an inch off for any stab, it could have killed them both. I kissed Harper's little forehead gently before leaving her in the care of the nursery staff. Happy was sitting outside of Ana's room when I made it back down the hall. He had his hand resting on the handle of his knife, ready to take down any threat, real or suspected.

I leaned against the doorframe and looked at the little blonde girl that had given me two horrible scares in the past year or so. She was a fighter though. Somehow, she always made it through. Gemma was starting to refer to her as angel, insisting that no human could make it through as much shit as she's seen in her life. We didn't even fully know or understand what had happened overseas.

"Neither one of them would be here if it wasn't for you." I glanced over at Happy and saw his eyes snap up to me. Chibs had told me he was particularly edgy after killing the man in the gas station.

"I know that." He snapped, standing up from the chair and staring through the window. I shook my head and sighed.

"Happy, that's not what I meant. I meant neither one of them would be alive if you hadn't saved them." The way the vein in his neck was pulsing made me nervous. I regretted speaking before I'd thought about my choice in words. He glanced over at me and nodded, relaxing slightly.

"Tara?" I almost missed the whisper coming from inside the patient room. I darted into the room and slid to a stop by Ana's side. Her eyes were looking around wildly. I took her hand and smiled, kissing her forehead softly.

**ANA**

"Where's Harper? Oh god. Tara, where's my baby." I gripped her hand tightly as I looked down at my feet. I shouldn't have been able to see past the baby bump that was no longer there. The monitors I was hooked up to started beeping faster and faster as I looked around.

"Ana, she's okay. She's in the nursery. It's okay." Tara spoke softly and rubbed my hand as she spoke. It took me a minute, but her words finally registered with me. Our daughter was okay. She made it.

The beeping slowed down and I felt pains in my back as the adrenaline subsided. Tara had tears falling down from her eyes as she sat down on the edge of the bed. I smiled, ignoring the pain.

"How is she? Can I see her?" Tara nodded and patted my leg. The euphoria of knowing I was a mother started to wash over me as my heart finally settled down completely.

"She's beautiful, Ana. They're just running a few tests and then I'll bring her in here. Opie's on his way." I snapped my head around to look at her, wondering if I'd imagined her last words.

"What? How? Why are they running tests? Is he coming because she's sick?" The beeping picked up again and Tara shook her head frantically.

"No, calm down. He's coming because Roosevelt got him a pass since she was in danger. The paperwork about everything being okay might take a while to get to Stockton." She smiled and I laughed a little. "I told you, Harper is perfectly fine. They just want to check her vision because of her heterochromia."

"Her what?" It was Happy's voice as he walked into the room. I smiled up at him as he took up post at the foot of my bed. Tara rolled her eyes.

"You two are going to have early heart attacks if you don't calm down. Heterochromia just means her eyes are two different colors. In Harper's case, one of her eyes is blue and one is green. It's perfectly safe and in her case, it's beautiful." Tara smiled and I just wanted to see my baby that much more.

I heard a jingle and looked at Happy. His wallet chain was still and he never carried loose change in his pocket. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw Opie standing in the hallway with Roosevelt and the guard from earlier. I made a move to jump out of bed. Tara pushed my shoulders down as Happy moved to my side, ready to hold me down.

"Opie." My voice cracked and tears started falling down my cheeks as he walked into the room. He had shackles on his ankles, but they had removed his handcuffs. Tara jumped back and he took her place, pulling me into his arms. Pain shot through my back, but I ignored it completely. My man was here with me. I pulled his mouth onto mine and kissed him deeply, reflexively moaning at the taste and comfort of his lips and tongue.

"Ana, baby. Jesus Christ." He had a hand wrapped in my hair and he was peppering my cheeks, mouth and neck with kisses. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his skin.

"I think someone is here to see both of you." Tara was walking back into the room with a pink blanket in her arms. Opie's eyes lit up and I smiled so wide it hurt. Tara went to hand me our daughter, but I shook my head. Opie was going to miss enough firsts, I wasn't taking holding his daughter first away from him.

"God, she's perfect." He sat down on the side of the bed and cradled her in his arms. She looked tiny next to him, but somehow they fit together perfectly. Her tiny eyes fluttered open and Opie's heart seemed to melt in front of me. I bit my lip and nodded as he offered her to me.

"Hey, sweetheart. Hey, baby." She blinked up at me and I noticed the heterochromia Tara had mentioned. Her right eye was bright blue like mine and her left eye was a light green. She had a full head of dark hair and light skin. Just like Opie said, she was perfect. The longer she was in my arms, the more I realized how little I knew about how she was delivered. I didn't remember delivering her at all, but there weren't any c-section incisions. Regardless, she was ours and she was healthy.

"Hap, you want to hold her brother?" Opie smiled over at Happy who had moved back to the foot of the bed. He raised his brow a little before moving over towards us without a word. I smiled at him and carefully passed Harper into his arms. The Tacoma Killer looked softer and more human than I had ever seen him as he looked into her eyes.

"She's cute." He growled as she waved her arms up at him. I laughed at his way with words, but nodded in agreement. She was cute. Roosevelt stuck his head in and told Opie he had five minutes. I groaned as Opie nodded. I knew Roosevelt had pulled a lot of strings to get Ope here.

"Here, brother." Happy gently put Harper back in her father's arms before gripping Opie's shoulder and giving him a farewell nod. He moved to the doorway before Tara followed him closely.

"I love you, Opie. I love you so much." I gently held Harper's tiny foot between my thumb and forefinger. He looked back over at me and smiled.

"I love you too, Ana. I'm so sorry this happened to you." I held up my hand to cut him off. He nodded and smiled again.

"It all worked out, Ope." Roosevelt tapped on the window with a frown. We both nodded and Opie laid Harper in my arms before standing up. He kissed me deeply, cupping my cheek with his hand. He pulled away to soon and I felt tears welling in my eyes as he carefully kissed Harper's tiny hand.

"We'll see you soon, baby." He nodded and reluctantly moved back towards the door. I swallowed back my tears and cuddled with Harper; unable to watch the guard and Roosevelt take him away from me. Feeling our daughter's little heartbeat against my chest assured me that everything was going to be okay.

**Quick update because I felt bad for leaving everyone hanging! Read, review and follow :) Welcome to the world, Harper B. Winston.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Do you need anything sweetheart?" I looked up from Harper's crib to see Gemma poking her head in the dorm room. I shook my head with a smile.

"Nope, she's perfect and I'm fine. Any idea when this lockdown is going to be over though?" She swallowed hard and tightened her lips into a thin line. After I was released from the hospital, Harper and I barely had twenty four hours at home when Happy ordered us to the clubhouse for lockdown. Gemma and Tara had been helping me a lot with Harper, but it had been almost two weeks and I was getting restless.

"You'd have to talk to Chibs about that, doll. They're still trying to get to the bottom of why you were attacked that day. All I know is that the last time I asked about taking you to my house, Happy about bit my head off. For someone that doesn't talk much, he had a lot to say about the matter." She gave me an apologetic shrug and half smile. Of course Happy had snapped when she asked about me leaving the clubhouse, we argued about it almost every other day.

"Yeah, he won't admit it but I think he feels guilty. It's not his fault but he won't listen to me. Hell, he threw a fit one day when I was in the garage and Harper was in here sleeping." I looked back at Harper and shook my head slowly. She was in for a tough few years once she was a teenager, but thankfully I had a little time before we had to worry about that.

I followed Gemma out of the room and closed the door as silently as possible. Harper normally slept well but she could wake up to any small noise within the first thirty minutes or so. Just yesterday, I had gotten her down for a nap and planned on taking one myself when Chibs banged on the door. Harper woke up immediately and screamed until her little face was beet red.

"Chibs! Do you have a minute?" He was walking out of the chapel behind Happy and Piney. Happy gave me a quick, one armed hug before heading out towards the garage. Piney took up his usual spot at the bar and Chibs nodded, leaning up against the pool table.

"Aye, sorry about yesterday, Ana. I didn't even think before knocking on tha door. Everything ok?" He pushed his sunglasses up into his hair and looked me in the eye. Ever since Harper was born, I noticed him looking me in the eye more and more.

"Don't worry about it. I know it's an adjustment for everybody. I was wondering when my house arrest was ending. Tomorrow is visitation and I really want to go see Opie." I felt a little uncomfortable talking to him about Opie, but I knew it would get easier with time. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ya planning on taking Harper with ya?" He glanced behind me and down towards the dorms. I laughed and shook my head.

"I know he'd love to see her but I can't take her down there. She's too young and susceptible to germs and everything. Tara was planning on watching her if I can go." I smiled and almost laughed at how similar this felt to asking a parent for permission to go out on a date.

"Lockdown won't be over for a while but we can work it out for ya to go see Ope. I'll talk to Happy about going with ya tomorrow. Sure he'll want to draw up some huge plan." Chibs laughed a little and patted me on the arm. I smiled and nodded a silent thank you. If Chibs was anyone else, I would have hugged him but we still had a level of awkwardness between us.

There was a loud outburst of laughter from down towards the dorms and I cringed, hoping Harper wouldn't wake up. I found myself holding my breath, counting the seconds as they ticked by without a scream or cry. I didn't make it to ten before the loud scream from my tiny baby hit my ears. The two croweaters that emerged from the hallway scrunched their noses at the sound.

**HAPPY**

"Seriously though, who would bring a loud ass baby into the clubhouse?" I stopped wiping down my bike and turned my head to look at the stupid women. They looked like they'd shared the same bottle of peroxide a couple months ago. Neither one of them could ever pass as real blondes with the inch of dark hair near their scalp. Regardless of how often they waxed or dyed their hair, they just looked cheap.

"I heard Tammie telling Lacey that she and Happy were hooking up. I'm all for a good fuck but Opie is going to drop her ass in a heart beat." I stood up from my spot where I was crouching down and wiping off my exhaust and watched the blonde facing the garage go green.

"If you ain't sucking dick, your fucking mouths need to be closed." I growled into the girl's ear, gripping the back of her neck tightly. She nodded and moaned in pain. I pushed her forward and shook my head, pissed that we couldn't just remove all their damn vocal cords. Ana walked outside of the clubhouse and raised her brow as the dumb bitch cried into the tits of the other bitch.

"What's your problem?" She asked the blondes in passing. They both glanced at me and shook their heads with their mouths closed. I smirked. Maybe they were finally learning something.

"Harper wake up?" I asked over my shoulder as I headed back to finish wiping my bike down. Ana laughed and followed me over.

"For all of about three minutes. I think she's actually getting used to noises and learning to ignore them." She smiled and sat down on Piney's seat as I scrubbed at some tar on my pipes. Normally, an old lady wasn't supposed to sit on a bike that wasn't her old man's, but she and Piney were family. Even if she wasn't with Opie, they had a father daughter dynamic going way before she got back with Ope.

"Good, almost felt bad gagging bitches in the dorm room." I smirked and glanced up at her as she screwed up her face. I hadn't actually taken any of the stupid bitches into the dorm since Harper and Ana got out, but it was still fun to mess with her.

"Will you go up to Stockton with me tomorrow? Tara's coming to watch Harper and Chibs told me to tell you to go with me. I thought I'd be nice and ask instead." She fluttered her eyelashes at me and tried to look innocent. I laughed and shook my head, finally getting the fucking tar off my chrome.

"How thoughtful. Yeah, I'll go with you. We taking the cage or the bikes?" I knew that question would throw her off. She hadn't ridden her Iron 883 since she found out she was pregnant.

"We can take the bikes? Uh, no brainer, Hap. I'm sick of the steering wheel and all that steel around me. I mean, it's practical but I miss my Iron." She yanked my rag away and moved over to her bike that was at the end of the row. I laughed and followed her over. It was nice to see her happy. Not that she had been that bad recently, but I could tell being pretty much a single mother was taking its toll.

Taking the bikes tomorrow obviously meant more risk, but I knew she needed it. If it came to it, I would drive my Dyna into anybody that tried to fuck with her. I let my guard down for three minutes at the gas station and she and Harper both almost paid the price. She may not be my old lady and Harper ain't my kid, but I'd be damned if I didn't love them both. She was like the little sister I never had or wanted.

"I'm going to ask you something, but I don't want you to freak out or think too hard about it." Ana said as she started polishing the Iron's front fork. I rolled my toothpick around in anticipation and nodded, knowing there was no telling what her question was going to be.

"Do you ever think about what life would be like if a certain event didn't occur or you made a different choice at one time or the other?" She didn't look away from the small circles she was making with the rag. I didn't like the question because I didn't know where it was coming from.

"I don't regret anything, Ana. I don't think about that because it's not something I can control anymore. What's going on?" I did my best to keep my voice flat so she wouldn't shut the conversation down. She sighed and her circles stopped.

"I was never planning on being a mother, Happy. Don't get me wrong, I love Harper and I would do anything for her. I just wonder what life would be like if I'd kept the appointment at the clinic. My freedom is pretty much gone for the next eighteen years." She twisted her mouth and started the circles back up again. I took a deep breath and held it in for a minute before letting it out in a huff.

"From what I've heard, it's easier when the dad is around, Ana. What can't you do now that you could do before?" I raised an eyebrow at her as she laughed. There was obviously a lot going on inside her head.

"Happy, I've been on lockdown for the past two weeks. In the past, I could have taken care of myself. Now? I have to base every decision on what's best for somebody else." She sighed and moved back to what little chrome she had on her engine cover.

"What you're saying is you can't reenlist like you were planning on anymore." I nodded as her eyes shot up to look at me. I'd seen her reenlistment papers lying around a couple weeks before she took Opie's crow.

"You need hair to keep all these damn secrets in, Hap. Why'd you do my crow if you about that? You had to have seen them right before I got inked." She was sitting sideways on her bike with her legs outstretched towards me. I squatted down and tapped my toothpick through the denim over my knee.

"You're an adult, Ana. I'm not really in the position to question your decisions. You more upset about the kid or the crow?" I could see the frustration building up behind her eyes as she scowled at me.

"I love Opie and Harper, Hap. I just feel like I've lost a big part of who I am and I'll never get that back." She bit her bottom lip and looked up at the sun. It was her tell that she was on the verge of crying. Everyone had a tell and her's involved burning her eyes out with the sun.

"You just need to find some other outlet for the G.I. Jane shit. Once Ope gets out, you'll have more time. Go get your helmet." I stood up and headed into the office where Gemma was probably listening in from. Sure enough, she darted away from the door once I got close.

"Nice try. Watch the kid. I'm taking Ana out to the range." I didn't wait for her response, her reddened cheeks were enough to tell me she'd heard enough of what was going on.


	5. Chapter 5

**ANA's POV**

"I thought you were supposed to be some great outlaw, Happy. My grouping is at least twenty percent tighter than yours." I dropped the empty magazine out of the new gun I had purchased on the way out to the range and smiled. Happy shook his head and pointed down range.

"Your grouping might be tighter but I'm still closer to target, brat. Let me shoot that." He handed me his precious Glock and started loading a magazine for my Magnum Research Baby Desert Eagle. It was by far the most pleasing handgun I'd ever shot. Happy fired off ten rounds in rapid succession before dropping the magazine. He turned the gun over in his hands and nodded.

"It's great isn't it? You can't tell me this Glock shoots any better than that gun. Your grouping actually got better with it." I pointed at the target as he hit the button for it to come back down the track.

"It's pretty nice. You can always hit somebody with it if you run out of rounds. Damn thing is a bludgeoning weapon." Happy smiled and put it back down on the table before taking his Glock back. I pulled the target off the hanger and folded it up with a smile.

"Thank you for this, Happy. I guess I needed it more than I thought." I secured my gun case in my saddle bag and smiled over at him. He nodded and buckled his bag closed. It was days like this, just hanging out at the range with no real worries that I missed the most. It was something that Brianna and I did at least twice a month.

"You don't have to thank me, Ana. You matter to me." He put his sunglasses and helmet on as I did the same.

"Love you to, Hap." I said with a laugh as he flipped me a leather gloved middle finger. He was like the brother I never had and regardless of what gossip was going around the clubhouse; I knew we both felt the same way.

I started my bike and smiled as the motor vibrated steadily. If you didn't know it already, looking at or even riding the bike, you would never imagine it had been totaled. I let Happy take the lead as we headed back into town. We were about ten miles out when I noticed something just didn't feel right about the car behind me. I sped up and rode alongside Happy. He looked in his mirror and then over at me, gesturing to pick up the speed.

I opened the throttle all the way and sped out in front of Happy. He sped up as well, but I could see him hanging back and switching from one side of the lane to the other. The car behind us was obviously getting agitated and started growing closer and closer to Happy's back tire. I knew he would be pissed at what I was about to do, but if I didn't do something they were going to wreck him on purpose.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my new handgun out of the holster behind my back and flipped the safety off. I waited until Happy was on the opposite side of the lane and braked hard while firing at the car's front tires. At least one round found its mark and the car spun around and only just avoided rolling over. Happy pulled up to where I had stopped and shook his head with a glare.

"Do you want to stay and see who they are or get back home?" I asked, gesturing at the wrecked car in the middle of the highway. Happy glanced back and nodded. We rode a little closer to the car and stopped, making sure to leave the bikes close in case something went south.

"Get out. Slowly." Happy growled as he yanked the driver's door open. I searched the rest of the car, but the guy was alone. I approached him at an angle and kept my finger just outside of the trigger guard, prepared to shoot the man at the slightest implication he made to hurt Happy or I.

"Why are you following us?" I snapped, training my sights to the man's chest. The man smiled and spit some blood at me. Happy drove the bottom of his gun into the guy's collarbone sharply. He buckled down to his knees and laughed.

"Stupid bitch. Go ahead and kill me, he'll just send somebody else and one day when you aren't expecting it, you and that kid of yours." The guy traced his finger across his throat and I shot him in the shoulder. Happy rubbed his ear and jumped back.

"Damn!" He yelled, trying to shake the ringing out of his ears. I was too pissed off to even notice the damage I had just caused to my hearing. It was one thing to threaten me, but no one threatens my daughter. I watched as Happy pulled out his phone and kicked the guy down to his stomach. The bullet wound in his shoulder seemed to put a damper on his sense of humor.

"As soon as the van gets here, I want you to get back to the clubhouse. Ride beside Chibs, no leading or following." Happy slammed his boot down on the man's back to keep him down. It was unnecessary, but the more pain the asshole was in, the better in my opinion. Moments later, the black van that the Sons used whenever they needed a cage and Chibs rode up to us.

"Go, Ana." Happy nodded towards the bikes as a couple of prospects hopped out of the van to get the guy off the road. Happy refused to let him up until I was on my bike and riding towards Charming beside Chibs. Something about the man threatening Harper kicked my maternal instincts into high gear and I got back to the lot as quickly as my Sportster would go. Chibs' Dyna struggled to keep up, considering the greater weight of both the rider and the bike.

"Ana, are you okay?" Tara handed Harper off to me and looked me over for any wounds. I nodded as I held my daughter against my chest, she was sleeping peacefully and was oblivious to the frenzy I was in. Tara rubbed her hand over my back to try and comfort me.

"I need Opie, Tara. There was a guy tailing us and he threatened both of us. Why would someone threaten a baby? She's innocent." I kissed Harper's tiny forehead and couldn't help but smile as she curled up against my chest. Tara bit her bottom lip and shook her head slowly. She knew there was nothing she could really say to help me.

"They're almost out, sweetie. In the mean time, you know they aren't going to let anything happen to either one of you. Happy will stand guard day in and day out before anyone even breathes on you or Harper." Tara gave me a weak smile and wiggled Harper's socked foot. She kicked Tara's hand away and I couldn't help but laugh and relax a little.

"Ana, ya got a minute?" Chibs asked as he walked inside and slid his phone back in the pocket of his jeans. I nodded and followed him into the chapel with Harper in my arms. I wasn't ready to let her out of my sight just yet. Chibs sat down at the head of the table and swallowed hard as he looked at the sleeping baby.

"Happy's findin' out who it is tha's behind what happened, Ana. We aren't about ta let anything happen to ya or tha little one. I promise ya, darlin." Chibs reached out and held my hand with a reassuring nod. I forced a half smile and nodded.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, Harper is always safe. She's the priority, Chibs." He frowned a little before nodding slowly.

"Aye, I promise ya. Nothin is going ta happen ta either of ya. I'm callin' some Tacoma guys down until our club is whole again." I let out sigh and nodded, feeling relieved to know that there would be more protection for Harper. She started stirring in my arms and looked up at me with sleepy eyes. I kissed her nose gently before shifting her over to my other arm.

"I love you, Fillip. Even after everything we put each other through. You're still family. Take care of yourself, okay?" I knew I didn't have to explain my feelings to him. We both knew that things could have been handled better, but it wasn't meant to be in the first place.

"Aye, I always do, Ana. It feels good to see ya happy, darlin. I'll always be here for ya." Chibs kissed me on the cheek and nodded before exiting the chapel and leaving Harper and I alone at the table. I looked over at the seat where I knew Opie to always sit and felt a sadness wash over me.

"You don't even know to miss your Daddy, do you baby girl?" She blinked as if to confirm that she didn't understand. I almost envied her lack of understanding. I moved over to Opie's chair and rocked Harper in my arms, thinking about how things would be once he got home.

**TARA's POV**

"They're asleep, Happy." I walked up and put my hand on his shoulder, pointing through the doors to where Ana and Harper were sleeping in Opie's seat. He glanced down at me before walking towards into the chapel as silently as possible. I watched as he looked down at the pair and frowned. There was an unusual softness to his expression.

"Can you come get the kid? I'm taking Ana to bed." Happy looked over at me expectantly. I nodded, knowing it would be better for both of them to be in a bed instead of a unstable chair. Ana moaned a little as I carefully pulled Harper into my arms. She stirred quietly and looked up at me.

"I'm going to give her a bottle. Do you need help with her?" I paused in the doorway and watched as Happy picked Ana up and out of the chair. She tucked her head into his neck and whimpered. I knew my sister well enough to know that she wasn't handling things as well as she tried to show.

"No." Happy didn't elaborate or say anything else as he carried her through the clubhouse. I noticed a couple croweaters watching and rolled my eyes. I had, of course, heard the rumors going around about Ana and Happy. Part of me even wondered if they were a little too close, but I knew Ana loved Opie and Harper too much to ever act on whatever feelings may be there.

"You seen Happy?" Piney asked as he walked into the clubhouse. Harper had just finished her bottle and I was trying to burp her before putting her down for the night. I looked up at the clock on the wall and realized Harper and I had been having a one sided conversation for over an hour.

"Not since he put Ana to bed. She and Harper fell asleep in Ope's chair. I wish I knew how to help her." I sighed and patted the baby's back as Piney sat down on the stool next to me. He smiled over at his granddaughter and then raised his eyes up to me.

"Both of you girls are doing a great job while your men are inside. Mary couldn't handle it when Opie was walking and feeding himself, and here you two are with babies and a toddler." Piney patted me on the knee as one of the croweaters brought him a tequila. I forced a smile and nodded.

It was hard to parent the boys and work without Jax being around, but for Ana it was something more. From the research I had been doing on PTSD over the last few months, I knew things could have a much higher stress level for someone like Ana. She managed it and handled more than I felt I ever could, but the effects were still there.

"Thanks, Piney. In some ways, I wish Ana never had enlisted. It's taken away so much of the person she used to be. Sometimes it seems like she's coming back little by little, but it never sticks. I'm going to go put this little one down with her momma before Ana wakes up and misses her." I stood up with a frown and Piney halted me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Give her time, Tara. She was gone for over six years. We can't expect her to get right in one or even two." I nodded and returned his smile with a hopeful one of my own. Harper was sound asleep and even looked to be smiling as I walked back to Opie's dorm.

I opened the door without knocking, hoping to avoid waking Ana up. I froze in the doorway. Ana was sound asleep and curled up against Happy's chest. His back was turned to the door and his arm was draped protectively around her, but I could see his body shifting with steady breaths and knew he had to be asleep to not jump up at the sound of the door opening. It was innocent. Ana was under a black blanket and Happy was uncovered and fully dressed, but it still seemed strange to see them together like that.

"I thought you were putting her down?" Piney asked as I reappeared at the bar with Harper in my arms. I shook my head and sat down on the couch, carefully shifting to get my phone out of my pocket. I needed to call Neeta to make sure she could watch the boys for a while longer.

"Is Ana okay?" Gemma asked, sitting down beside me and reaching for Harper. I nodded and passed the snoozing baby over to her, relieved to be able to move my arms a little. Harper wasn't big by any means, but holding anything for a prolonged period of time can wear your muscles down.

"She's asleep." I hoped Gemma wouldn't question why Harper wasn't sleeping in the bed with Ana like she normally did. It was one thing for me to know Happy and Ana fell asleep together, but I didn't trust for anyone else to understand. One of the symptoms of PTSD Ana had was sleeping problems and nightmares. I knew she slept better when she wasn't alone, when she felt safe.

"Happy could probably sneak this little one in there without waking her up." Gemma said with a smile as she stood up. I rested my head on my hand that was propped up on the back of the couch and looked up at her.

"He's asleep, Gemma. Neeta is going to stay with the boys until Ana wakes up. It's fine. She needs sleep." I yawned and smiled up at the sweet little baby that looked so much like my younger sister. I was young when Ana was born, but I can still remember how it felt when our parents brought her home, and she had looked just like Harper does now.

"They're sleeping together, aren't they? What's going to happen when the guys get out? The last thing this club needs is Ana causing more tension between them." Gemma scowled and shook her head with frustration. I rolled my eyes and massaged my temple with my thumb.

"It's not like that, Gemma. Don't meddle or make something out of nothing. You do that and it's just going to stir things up. For once, just leave it alone." I folded my arms across my chest and tried to make sure Gemma took me seriously. Opie would never be threatened by what Ana and Happy had, but if Gemma stirred things up, things could be taken out of context or misconstrued.

"I'm taking this little one to my house for the night. She doesn't need to sleep out here in the noise." I sighed and shook my head. Gemma would need to go in Opie's dorm to get clothes, diapers and formula for Harper and I knew better than to think she wasn't banking on that.

"No, I've got things for her at my house, Gemma. I'll take her home." Gemma rolled her eyes and passed Harper off to me. I had succeeded in angering her, because she didn't even offer to help me get her in the car seat. She shot a glare down the dorm hall before storming out of the clubhouse.

"Come on, Grandpa. You can learn how to work a carseat." I told Piney with a smile. He laughed and shook his head, but followed me outside anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

**OPIE'S POV**

"Is everything okay?" I was shocked to see Gemma on the other side of the table as the guard led me in to the visitation area. I already knew that Ana wouldn't be coming this week because of what had happened when she and Happy were riding back from the range yesterday. Chibs made the call for the club to go on lockdown, so Gemma's presence in visitation threw me off.

"You look good honey." Gemma smiled up at me and patted my hand. I nodded and watched her carefully. Something was definitely off. I slid my hand out from under hers and put both palms on my lap. She frowned a little and kept watching my eyes.

"Something wrong with Ana or Harper? You're supposed to be at the clubhouse, Gemma. Everyone is supposed to be there." I noticed her wince a little at the reminder that she was supposed to be on lockdown with everyone else.

"They're both safe, Opie. You need to talk to your old lady, sweetheart. You all are getting out soon and I don't want anything coming between the club." Gemma tried giving me a weak grin, but it didn't do anything to calm me down. It was one thing for her to be here, but I didn't like where the conversation was going.

"Be straight with me and get back to the clubhouse, Gemma. What are you talking about?" My fists clenched underneath the table. I had seen Gemma try to get between Tara and Jax first hand and had no intention to let her try and do the same with Ana and I.

"It's her and Happy, Ope. They're too close, especially with you being inside." I slammed my fists up on the metal table and leaned forward, causing the guards to stir. I waited for them to back off before speaking.

"I trust both of them, Gemma. They were close before I went in and it wasn't a problem then. It ain't a problem now." I growled, trying to remember whom it was I was talking to. Clay would have my ass if word got back to him that I threatened his old lady. She pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Sweetheart, it's called a prison clause for a reason. Have you talked to her about using it or not? What about that daughter of yours? What's going to happen when she sees that man as her papa and you're just a stranger? You need to take care of this before it goes any further, Opie. If not for the club, do it for your family, sweetheart." Gemma patted my hand again and rose to leave. The guards seemed to breathe easier as they came to lead me back towards the cells.

**ANA's POV**

I woke up to the sound of a phone vibrating on the nightstand. Happy was sleeping soundly with his arm around my shoulders. I groaned and tried to remember how I'd gotten back to Opie's dorm last night. The phone started vibrating again, so I reached out and grabbed it with the end of my fingertips, barely able to reach it due to Happy's arm holding me back.

"Hello?" I yawned and rolled over onto my back, causing the sleeping killer beside me to grunt and reposition as well. I rolled my eyes, wondering how he could stand to sleep in a loaded shoulder holster and a kutte.

"Hey munchkin. I thought I'd call you since you can't come down today." It was Opie's voice that made me smile as it came through the phone. It took me a minute to register what he had said.

"Hey baby. What do you mean I can't come down today? Happy and I were supposed to ride down this afternoon." At the sound of his name, Happy's eyes opened a little and he removed his arm from it's protective place across my stomach.

"I guess you've been asleep. Club's on lockdown until yesterday's situation is handled. Are you okay, Ana?" Opie sounded agitated and I knew he was upset about what had happened. I couldn't blame him. Happy rubbed his eyes and stared up at the ceiling as I sat up against the headboard.

"I'm fine, baby. You know nothing is going to happen to me, especially with Hap around." I smiled over at him as he rolled his head over to look at me. He smirked and sat up, swinging his feet down to the floor.

"Yeah, Happy was with you when both you and Harper were almost killed, Ana." There was a clip to his voice and I scowled. His comment rubbed me wrong considering how Happy still blamed himself as well. Both of them seemed to forget that the guy didn't succeed in causing any permanent damage and that Happy had stopped him before he had the chance.

"Don't start, Opie. I can take care of myself. I had six damn years to prove it, remember?" It was the first time I snapped at him in several months. I didn't understand why he was suddenly blaming Happy when they were straight with everything at the hospital.

"You've always had someone to help you, Ana. What's your thoughts on the prison clause?" Opie flipped from one subject to the other fast enough to make my head spin. Happy handed me a cup of tea and raised his brow at me.

"What the fuck are you talking about? The prison clause is ridiculous. You want to ask me about it close to a year into your fourteen months?" I slammed the mug down on the nightstand, splashing hot tea onto my wrist. I hissed and rubbed the scalded skin on my jeans.

"Look, baby, I'm sorry. I just miss you and I want to make sure you're safe." Opie's voice softened, but I was already pissed off. I started pacing the room and shaking my head. It wasn't like Opie to lash out at me like that.

"I miss you too, Opie. Don't worry about me, okay? Like I said, I can protect myself if nothing else." My voice was low and I tried to keep the tone even so we ended the call on a positive note. I heard him sigh.

"Ana, be careful baby. You've never faced this type of shit alone." Opie sounded like he was trying to calm me down, but his words had the opposite effect. I froze in place and rolled my eyes.

"I faced shit you can never dream of in that damn sand box. I'm not helpless." I looked over at my gun that was sitting beside the mug on the nightstand and scowled. Opie's doubt in both my capabilities and my loyalty infuriated me.

"I know, Ana, but you had Briana to watch your back. I know you miss her but Happy's not Briana, baby. He's a killer, not your bestie." I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared in wonder. I couldn't believe he had actually said that and brought Briana up.

"I'm well fucking aware he's not Briana, Opie. I was there when she died in my arms. Go fuck yourself." I snapped the phone in half and hurled it against the closet door. Happy appeared in the open doorway and stared at me as I tried to slow my breathing and resist the urge to shoot something.

"What's going on?" Tara asked as she appeared beside Happy, holding Harper in her arms. I stepped across the room and took my daughter into my own arms. She looked up at me with her blue and green eyes and wrapped her hand around my finger. Her presence against my chest did wonders to calm me down. I looked over at Tara who was picking up the shattered phone pieces.

"Apparently Opie thinks I need to be reminded that Briana is gone. I don't know what his problem is. He was all over the place, Tara. Why would he ask me about the prison clause? I'm holding our daughter for Christ's sake." I kissed Harper on the tiny forehead and then looked back up at my sister. She was looking at the doorway that Happy had disappeared from.

"He's probably just having a bad day, Ana. Who knows what's going on in there? Don't let it get to you." Tara smiled and tossed the shattered phone into the trashcan. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the end of the bed, exhausted from the fight.

"It doesn't matter what's going on inside, Tara. He would never snap like that. You know Happy and I haven't even kissed, right? Do you think Opie thinks we are?" Tara sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. She rubbed my arm and shook her head.

"I know you love Opie and would never cheat on him, Ana. Being locked up can make them question everything. Jax is even talking about getting out of the club. Don't repeat that." Tara looked me in the eyes as I nodded. It didn't surprise me that Jax might think about leaving the club. He and Clay had been at odds ever since before I came back to Charming, according to Opie.

"If Opie didn't leave when Clay killed Donna, he never will." I said, looking back down at Harper who was trying to catch some of my hair.

"Opie told you about that?" Tara asked quietly. I shook my head and Harper used the opportunity to grab a hold of some hair.

"No. I suspected it and you just confirmed it. God, how can he lecture me about being safe when he answers to the man that killed his wife? I have a daughter to think about, Tara. What happens when Clay decides I need to disappear?" My mind was racing as I thought about the worst case scenarios. I could almost see Opie taking Harper out of my arms as Clay pressed a gun to my head. Tara put her hand on my knee and I could see it, but I couldn't feel it.

"Ana, that was a complicated situation. It wasn't right and I don't trust Clay either, but Opie would never let him hurt you or Harper." I walked into the bathroom and started the shower, holding Harper closely to my hip.

"I'm going to take a shower and relax a little, okay? She's fine." I said as Tara nodded and walked over to take Harper. Tara gave me a sad smile and nodded before walking out of the dorm and softly closed the door behind her.

**TARA's POV**

"If you had a problem with me and Ana, you should have said something to us." Happy growled as he walked out of the chapel with a big black backpack. I folded my arms across my chest and stared into his intimidating eyes. He stopped in front of me and scowled.

"I don't have a problem, Happy. I know you two are close." Happy cut me off by tossing the bag on the ground.

"I'm not trying to fuck Ana." Happy roared as he took a step closer to me. I matched his step with a backwards one of my own and shook my head. Part of me thought that Happy would never hurt me, but when he got pissed off, I started to question the soundness of that belief.


	7. Chapter 7

"I know that, Happy. Where are you going?" I asked as he scoffed and picked his bag back up. He furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"I don't answer to you, Tara." He was clearly shutting me out, not that he ever really let me in. I knew better than to tell him it was probably Gemma who had talked to Opie. Instead I stuffed my hands in my front pocket and nodded.

"No, you don't." I agreed as he walked away. I frowned and retreated back to Jax's dorm where Abel and Thomas were hopefully still sleeping. I smiled down at them both and pulled the blanket up over Abel before checking on Thomas. He growing more and more every day and I wondered if he would even recognize Jax when he came home. The thought overwhelmed me as I sat down on the bed and cried for my family.

**HAPPY's POV**

For the second day in a row, I was dead tired as I walked back into the clubhouse. I managed to keep most of the blood off my shirt, but I could still see a couple spots that had managed to make their way on the white cotton. Both Jax and Opie's dorms were closed as I walked down the hall to my own.

I stepped into the shower and let the hot water scald my skin as I rested my arms on the tiled wall. After the drama I woke up to this morning and the difficult interrogation this afternoon, I just wanted to relax and maybe find a croweater to fuck. Right on cue, there was a knock on my door as I wrapped a towel around my waist.

"Have you seen Ana?" Tara asked quickly. I scowled and shook my head, disappointed that she wasn't a croweater and I'd have to actually go look for one.

"I just got back. She can't be that far, we're on lockdown. You checked with Chibs?" I watched as she glanced down at my towel and swallowed hard. She nodded and brought her eyes back up to mine.

"Yeah, he hasn't seen her since this morning." I groaned and stared at her for a minute. She raised her brow when I gave up on her leaving so that I could get dressed. I heard the door close quickly as I stepped into my boxers.

"Son of a bitch." I growled as I tried calling Ana's phone. It went straight to voicemail as I stared at the empty spot where her Jeep had been when I left earlier. Chibs was already climbing on his bike as Tara bounced Thomas on her hip and looked around in panic.

"I'll call you if she comes back." Tara said as I brushed past her to get to my Dyna. I cut my eyes over at her and nodded. I headed out of the lot with Chibs as Gemma looked on from the garage office.

Chibs turned off towards her house as I headed out to the park. I had a feeling she wasn't at either location, but I didn't want to miss her by starting the search out at the lake and working our way back in. Sure enough, her Jeep wasn't anywhere to be found inside of Charming. Chibs met up with me on 18 as we headed up towards the lake cabin that I had found her at last time.

"Jesus Christ," Chibs called out. I rushed out of the cabin to find him holding Harper. I shook my head and backed away from them.

"Where'd you find her?" I asked, putting my helmet back on and preparing for the worst. Chibs shook his head and tried to get her to stop crying. I knew I could take her and she would shut up, but I couldn't even look at her without knowing where Ana was.

"She was crying in her car seat behind some bushes, brother. Ana must have hidden her." I felt the bile creeping up my throat and started my bike. The only way Ana would leave Harper was if it was safer for the baby not to be with her. I had noticed two other sets of tire tracks and could almost fill in what had happened as if I had been there to see it. The only thing I didn't know is who took her where and why. The why was the least of my concerns.

"Get Harper back to the clubhouse. I'm going back to talk to that stupid fuck and find out where they took her." I called over the roar of my v-twin engine. Chibs looked like he was going to say something, but I was already leaving and didn't have time to argue.

"Who are you working for?" I growled as I held my knife over the asshole that had tailed Ana and I. He smirked and rolled his head around to look up at me. His face was black and blue from earlier, but I was done playing nice.

"I take it something happened to the bitch? It was only a matter of time." The guy spit at me and I drove the knife straight through his leg. He screamed and bucked wildly in the chair as I pulled it out again.

"Answer the fucking question." I moved the knife in position over his crotch and smiled darkly. If the situation weren't so dire, I would actually enjoy this. His eyes were wide as he watched his own blood drip from the knife. I pulled up sharply, ready to drive it down into him again.

"Putlova! Putlova! He hired me when he couldn't get to the club on the inside. They got protection from brown so he zeroed in on Winston and Teller's women." The guy sang like a fucking canary as the blade still hovered over his crotch. I narrowed my eyes at him and my lip curled upwards.

"Where would they take her? Where's a safe house?" I grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me. His bottom lip was shaking as he shook his head.

"The only one I know about is out north of Stockton. It's on Cherry Street, it's a mint green house, you can't miss it." He searched my eyes for some type of mercy. I pushed away from him and wiped my knife on his pant leg.

"Keep him alive. If she's there I might let him live." I barked at the prospects as I headed out of the building. They nodded and stepped back inside to continue standing guard as I called Chibs and headed to my bike.

"Aye, I'll meet up with you on 18, brother. Piney and Kozik are going to stay here with tha women and children." I acknowledged him by starting my bike and ending the call.

**TARA's POV**

I watched Chibs leave the lot again with a better lead on finding my sister. I held Thomas close to my chest as Piney stood with Harper in his arms. Abel was running around the ring with Kozik and laughing loudly. It didn't seem real. I half expected Ana to come off the roof or out of the garage and announce it was a joke.

"What made her bolt, Tara? Does this have anything to do with you and Hap this morning?" Piney asked over Harper's crying. She had been almost impossible to calm since she got back to the clubhouse. Kozik and Piney had ridden up in the van so that Chibs could drive Ana's Jeep back and Kozik could ride the Harley back. I looked over at her Jeep and shook my head.

"I don't know, Piney. She and Opie got into an argument this morning and I know he brought up Brianna and Happy both. She's not sleeping with him, Piney." I wanted to make sure and defend my sister before anyone else got the wrong idea. Piney shifted Harper up to his shoulder and nodded.

"I'm not stupid Tara. She is too damn crazy about my son to even think about Hap like that. Every time Opie is mentioned she gets all bright eyed. How would he even get it in his head that they're together?" Piney asked the million-dollar question that I didn't want to answer. It was pretty obvious to me who had set Opie off. The only person that wasn't here for the lockdown besides me was Gemma.

"Do you think I should call and let Opie know what's going on?" I changed the subject quickly as Harper started to quiet down ever so slightly. Piney looked over at his granddaughter and shook his head.

"They've got enough to worry about inside, Tara. Adding this won't help anybody. Let's give Chibs and Happy some time before we go alerting the rest of them. Tacoma fellas should be here within the hour and we can send them out to help if we need to." Piney coughed as Harper yanked his oxygen hose out of his nostrils.

"Here, Shelia. Take him and put him down please." The croweater smiled and nodded as I handed Thomas over to her. I left Piney to deal with Harper, who was suddenly interested in his oxygen, and headed into the garage where Gemma had been hiding ever since Happy left this morning. I walked in to find her sitting behind the desk and closed the door behind me.

"Are you proud, Gemma? Harper could lose her mother because you thought it was a good idea to get in the middle of Ana and Opie's relationship. Why couldn't you leave it alone or at least talk to Ana or Happy?" I slammed my hands down onto my hips and glared at the SAMCRO queen. She looked less than regal as she looked back at me.

"It's not my fault the girl runs at the drop of a hat. She knew we were on lockdown for a damn good reason. Don't try and put this blame on me, Tara." Gemma's words were strong, but the delivery was weak. I laughed darkly and stepped further inside the office.

"Do you really believe that? Ana was barely pregnant when Opie went in. She had his child and has waited almost a year for him to get out of prison for a crime your husband walked the club into. I swear, Gemma. If my sister doesn't make it home, I'll kill you." I spun on my heel and stormed out of the office, too disgusted to stay in the tiny room with her any longer.

**ANA's POV**

"I really need to go to the restroom." I muttered through my swollen lip. The Russian guy with an undercut looked over at me and rolled his eyes. He had been the only one that hadn't taken his turn in hitting me, so I knew I had better chances getting him to let me up than any of the others. I strained against the handcuffs that held my wrists behind my back and felt warm blood starting to run down my fingers from the metal cutting into my skin as I struggled. I knew how to get out of them, but it would be a lot easier if I wasn't being watched.

"What is the difference in dying with a full bladder or an empty bladder?" He asked as he lit a cigarette. It was a valid question. I dropped my chin down to my chest and stared at my feet.

"It's about honor." It wasn't hard to fake a sob since my wrists were stinging and my black eye made it almost impossible to see anything to the right of me. The guy shifted uncomfortably before finally getting up and walking over towards me. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him.

"You have two minutes to relieve yourself, Winston. After that, you come back to this chair and wait to die." He was trying to sound as intimidating as the men that had left the room an hour ago. I decided the best plan was to feed into his ego and nodded slowly while averting my eyes. He scoffed and grabbed my arm tightly, yanking me out of the chair and practically dragging me to the bathroom.

"Thank you." I whispered as I walked into the room. He didn't respond and simply slammed the door shut. Obviously, this guy was not used to watching prisoners, because you were never supposed to let them out of your sight. I made quick work of stepping back through my arms to bring my hands in front of me and looked for something to bite down on to keep from screaming.

I took a hand towel from a cabinet and balled it up before stuffing it into my mouth. Before slipping my cuffs, I flushed the toilet so he wouldn't think anything of a prolonged silence. I turned the sink on and closed my eyes as I inhaled slowly through my nose. The towel in my mouth did the trick as I slammed my hand into the marble of the sink. My right thumb dislocated just as it had the first time I needed to slip cuffs. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I freed my hand and turned off the water.

"Time is up." The Russian said as he opened the door. I nodded and walked towards him with my arms behind my back. I had the empty cuff positioned over my left fist like a set of brass knuckles. He grabbed my right bicep and started dragging me back to the chair. We were almost there when I swung around and connected the improvised weapon with the bridge of his nose. The metal cut in to both his skin and mine, but it had the intended effect. Blood was pouring into his eyes, temporarily blinding him.

I picked up the knife from the table he had been sitting at and drove it through the side of his neck. He crumpled down to the floor, gurgling and fading away quickly. I caught my breath with my hands on my knees and planned the next stage of my escape. I heard footsteps coming towards the door and hurried over to the middle of the room to give myself the most maneuverability.

"Looks like ya may not need us, Lass. We'll just be on our way then." Chibs was smiling at me and I dropped the knife to the ground with a clatter. I rushed into his arms and shook my head, squeezing him tightly despite what I assumed were broken ribs. He stroked the back of my head and kissed my cheek as I cried.

"Chibs, Harper is," He cut me off with a nod of his head and a kiss to my forehead and I relaxed. I should have known that would be one of the first places they looked for me.

"Harper's back at tha clubhouse, darlin'. She's right angry but she's safe." Chibs helped get the handcuff off as I heard gunshots down the hall. He smirked and I knew it had to be Happy. Moments later, he showed up in the doorway and I watched as his eyes moved from the body on the ground to me and his whole body relaxed. I stood up slowly from the chair as the majority of my adrenaline had already drained out of my body.

"Ana." Happy almost choked as he met me halfway and pulled me up into his arms. I felt my tears start to flow again and buried my face in his neck. He held me gently and tightly at the same time with his Glock still in his right hand. I felt his lips on the back of my head just before he picked me up and carried me out of the room.

"Can you ride?" Happy asked as we stepped out into the night air. I nodded and he let me down to my feet slowly. Chibs was on the phone as he walked out of the house behind us. He nodded and handed the phone over to me as Happy put his helmet on my head.

"Ana? Oh my god! Are you okay?" It was Tara's voice and I could hear my daughter crying in the background. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes to muster all of the strength I had left.

"I'm okay, Tara Bear. You might get to stitch up a couple places, but I'm okay. I love you. Kiss Harper for me, okay?" I sat down behind Happy and shifted around to try and get somewhat comfortable.

"I love you to, Ana. She's waiting up for you. I'll see you when you get back." I nodded and closed the phone before passing it back over to Chibs. Happy looked back at me as I continued to shift around.

"You want to ride with Chibs? His bitch seat is bigger." He motioned over towards Chibs' bike, which did in fact have a bigger seat. I nodded and stood up, acutely aware of how uncomfortable Happy seemed as soon as I was off the bike. I offered him his helmet back and he shook his head as he started the bike.


	8. Chapter 8

"Ana, you look horrible." Tara inhaled sharply as she looked me over. I nodded and ignored her comment, reaching out for my sleeping daughter that was in her arms instead. Harper cooed as I held her against my chest and pressed my lips to her forehead. She was just as perfect as when I had left her at the cabin. I bit my bottom lip and felt tears start to fall down my cheeks.

"I left her. Just like Briana." My tears cascaded into waterfalls and my chest heaved with ragged sobs. Tara was shaking her head and gently rubbing my arm to try and soothe me. I shook my head and turned away from her.

"Ya didn't leave neither one of 'em, Ana. If Harper woulda been with ya, she wouldn't a made it. Ya saved ya'r daughter." Chibs had a slight scowl on his face as I turned to look at him. He was right about what would have happened had she been taken to that house. The men that had taken their turns beating me had said it themselves. They only hit me harder when I refused to tell them where she was.

"I'm going to lay down. The stitches and everything can wait, Tara. I've been through worse." She was ready to object and argue her side, but I didn't stick around to hear it. I cradled Harper and barely took my eyes off of her as I walked back into Opie's room. The minute I opened the door, I knew something wasn't right.

While Opie was gone, I was making sure to keep his dorm picked up and tidy, but I had yet to give it a deep cleaning. It went against everything I had learned in the military, but it was my way of keeping him around. The sheets smelled like him and I left certain things just as he had. Now, the bed was freshly made with red sheets instead of gray and the room was spotless. The carpet even had pristine diamond shaped vacuum lines. Harper's crib and necessities were to the right of the bed when I had kept it on the left so she was closest to me when I slept on Opie's side of the bed.

"You okay?" Happy asked, pausing at his dorm room door with a yawn. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before turning and looking at him. His lips turned down into a frown as I turned around and looked at him.

"I should be. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." I turned away and shook my head. Happy reached out for my arm and turned me around gently. His Adam's apple jumped as he swallowed hard.

"I can't help worrying about you, Ana. You know better than to lie to me." His voice was gravelly and his eyes fell on Harper with a smile. I took a deep breath and rest my head on his kutte, just above the unholy one's patch.

"I need to get away for a while, Happy. Ever since I came back to Charming, this club has consumed my whole life. I don't even remember the last time I didn't factor the club into my decisions." As I realized what had been bothering me for so long, my head became clearer. I brought my blue eyes up to look into Happy's dark brown eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Sleep on it, Ana." He brushed my hair out of my face as I nodded. I glanced back into Opie's room and frowned, realizing that no matter how the room was organized, he was still in prison and would be for almost half a year.

"Happy, can I go home? Please?" I knew it was a long shot but I would never know unless I asked. His brow was furrowed and I knew he was torn between making me happy and keeping Harper and I safe. He ran his hand around the back of his neck and sighed.

"Just for tonight, Ana. I'm staying with you though." He said in a defeated tone. I smiled and nodded a thank you, glad to finally be going back home with my daughter.

**Happy's POV**

I woke up with a groan and slowly opened my eyes. Ana's back was pressed up against my chest and she was sleeping soundly. There was no light coming in through the bay window in her bedroom and Harper's breathing was steady and rhythmic. My exhaustion won over and I closed my eyes again, falling back into a comfortable sleep.

There was light coming in through the window when I woke up again. I rubbed my eyes and tried to remember how Ana and I had ended up sleeping in the same bed. After coming back here from the clubhouse, Ana put Harper down for the night and then offered me a beer. We drank through the refrigerator and freezer while sharing "war stories" and talking about life in general. It irritated me that I couldn't remember the last thing I remembered.

We'd shared a bed before, on more than one occasion. In the past, I always slept on top of the covers and slept in my jeans if not completely dressed. This morning though, I woke up under the sheets in my boxers and I could remember the feel of Ana's back against my chest. It wasn't clear to me if she had been wearing a shirt or not.

Now, she was out of bed and the sheets were cold. I propped myself up on my elbows and noticed Harper wasn't in her crib either. My head was pounding and I let my back fall back down to the mattress. I listened for any movement down the hall or in the bathroom as I thought about the worst-case scenario.

"You always wake up grumpy?" Ana's voiced piped as she strolled into the room. I rolled my head over and watched as she walked into her closet. I'd be a liar if I said she wasn't beautiful. Her shirt came to her midriff and showed off her tattoos, some of which I had done myself. My gaze lingered on her ass until I forced myself to close my eyes and turn my face towards the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" I groaned as I felt something hit the bed, mere inches away from my foot. I heard her laugh and raised a brow, still refusing to open my eyes.

"I'm packing, Hap. I told you I needed to get away for a while and you told me to sleep on it. So, I did and I'm going away for a while." Ana said as she hitched her shoulder. I vaguely remembered that conversation ending with me agreeing to let her come back here instead of staying at the clubhouse again.

"You going to just leave without talking about last night?" I knew I sounded like a bitch but the conversation needed to happen. Ana stopped packing and looked me in the eyes.

"There's nothing to talk about, Happy. I'll be back in a few weeks or so." She zipped the suitcase and pulled it off the bed. I shot out of her bed and moved to block the doorway. She sighed and looked up at me.

"Where are you going, Ana? You really think I'm not going to talk about this shit with you?" Ana rolled her eyes and slammed the suitcase down. I could see the anger flaring up behind her eyes.

"There is nothing to fucking talk about. I'm going out to New York to visit my old unit." She spat with fury behind her voice. I narrowed my eyes at her, but I couldn't stay mad. Her black eye was more open and her cuts seemed to be clotting, but she still looked beaten and bruised.

"Fine, Ana. Go." I moved out of the door and motioned towards it. Her anger subsided to a sad look for half a second as she picked her suitcase back up and turned away from me.

**ANA's POV**

"Delta flight 706 to JFK is now boarding all passengers." The flight attendant announced cheerfully over the intercom. I rose and carried Harper's car seat over towards the terminal. We had yet to leave the ground and I already realized that travelling with a baby was a lot harder than I expected.

"Damnit, how long do I have?" I asked the attendant as I pulled out my vibrating phone. She looked up at the clock and twisted her mouth.

"I'm going to make a last call in five minutes, ma'am." She smiled down at Harper and gave her a little wave. I nodded and flipped the phone open.

"Hey baby, you caught me at a bad time." I said as I put the car seat back down on a bench. Harper was batting at the plush motorcycle that was dangling down towards her.

"I'm sorry. That's why I called, Ana. I shouldn't have asked you about the prison clause and all that shit, baby. I'm getting cabin fever or something, I guess. I'm surprised you even answered." Opie's apology sent a lead weight down to the pit of my stomach. After everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours, I barely even remembered the fight with him that had started it all.

"I get it, Ope. I wasn't going to tell you but since you called I guess I have to. Harper and I are getting out of town for a little while, Opie. I'll be back before you come home and I'll keep my phone on me, but I need this. I need to remember who I am." I spoke quickly and braced for the worst. I heard his heavy sigh and held my breath.

"Just be safe, Ana. If this is what it takes to make you happy, then go. Tell Harper I love her babe. I love you, muchkin." His voice was soft and I knew he wasn't exactly thrilled I was leaving. I made a point not to mention that I was going to the other side of the country.

"We love you to, baby. Call me tomorrow, babe. I miss you." I closed my eyes to keep from crying as I said goodbye. Getting out of town was the best thing for Harper and I, but that meant not visiting Opie any more. I ended the call before his voice broke my heart even more.

Harper and I found our seats and settled in for the flight to New York. I strapped the car seat down securely and stored her diaper bag underneath my seat. Flying wasn't something I ever got used to over the years, but Harper seemed to be content. I watched her gaze around the plane as I ran my thumb over the crow on my arm.

Once the plane was safely in the air, I leaned my seat back and lent my hand to Harper to hold and mouth. My thoughts were back in Charming as the plane carried me further and further away. Happy stepping aside and letting me leave had surprised me almost as much as his desire to talk this morning. To be honest, a part of me had considered staying last night. When I woke up in his arms this morning, I knew I had to leave.

He looked peaceful as he slept in my bed, which was an adjective I never thought would describe Happy. What was worse was the way I felt comfortable in his arms. It took a few cups of coffee for me to remember what had happened to lead up to this morning, but when I finally did I knew I had to leave.

"Can I get some coffee?" I asked the flight attendant as she passed by for a twelfth time. She nodded and poured me a cup with a smile.

"Your daughter is beautiful. She's so well behaved." The woman said as I took the cup. I glanced over at Harper who had her baby blanket in her mouth and smiled.

"Yeah, she's a doll when she wants to be. She seems to like flying a lot more than I do." I laughed at the woman's nod.

"Well sweetie, I'm glad to see you doing the right thing for both of you." She nodded and patted my shoulder before continuing on down the aisle. It took me a minute to understand what she was talking about. I had done what I could to cover up my bruises and cuts, but it must have looked like I was running from an abusive relationship all the same. If she only knew the truth.

The flight was free of any major turbulence and Harper only fussed a couple times when she needed a change and a bottle. I finished both the gun and motorcycle magazines I had bought at the magazine store in the airport and taken a nap by the time we started circling JFK.

As soon as the wheels hit the ground, I started questioning my decision on coming out to New York. I had lied about my reason in coming here in hopes that Happy would find an Army base safe enough to let me leave. In reality, my unit had been redeployed several months ago. I felt my stomach start to knot as I carried Harper off the plane.

The marble was cold beneath my hand as I ran my palm over the headstone. It reminded me of the coolness of Briana's hands at the viewing before her burial. I could almost hear the twenty-one-gun salute ringing in my ears again. The sun was shining just as it had the day her coffin was lowered into the grave I was kneeling on now. I laid the roses at the base of the tombstone and bowed my head.

"I had a feeling I'd see you here eventually." I jumped up and spun around with my Beretta in my hand. Jensen White laughed and put his hands up in mock surrender. I flipped the safety back on and holstered the gun before giving him a tight hug.

"It was going to happen eventually, might as well be on her birthday. What are you doing here? You didn't deploy?" I stepped back and glanced over at Harper who was still sleeping peacefully in her car seat. Jensen followed my gaze and I saw his eyebrows shoot up a little.

"I didn't re-up. Signed my DD-214 last month. I see you haven't been keeping me up to date on your life either." He said with a laugh. I shrugged and took a deep breath.

"Touché. That's my daughter, Harper Briana Knowles-Winston." I said, looking back up at Jensen. He nodded and knelt down to put his own bouquet of roses down at Briana's headstone.

"Let's go get coffee or something, Ana. There's something you need to know." I nodded and passed a kiss from my fingertips to Briana's engraved name. Just seeing her final resting place already made me feel better than I had in over a year.

**TARA's POV**

"Where's Ana?" I asked, barging into the garage and kicking Happy's boot that was sticking out from beneath a car he was working on. I heard the familiar sound of a metal tool falling onto the concrete floor and a grumbled string of swearing. He looked particularly angry as he rolled out from under the car.

"Went out of town with the kid for a while. Why?" He turned away from me and grabbed a shop rag to wipe his hands off on. I shook my head a little to clear my ears.

"I'm sorry, did you just say she went out of town? She needs to be in a fucking hospital." I snapped, no longer caring how intimidating Happy could be. He didn't look at me and started fooling around in the engine bay of the car he'd just crawled out from under. I shifted Thomas to my other hip and glared at the back of the man's tattooed head.

"She's fine, Tara." He growled as his hands finally came to rest on either side of the radiator. I closed my eyes and tried to keep from screaming at him. It wasn't his anger that kept me quiet but the fear of disturbing my son that was finally drifting off in my arms.

"You realize she may have a concussion and she's got to be in pain, Happy. I can't believe you let her leave town." I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes as he spun around to look at me. He glanced at Thomas before taking a step towards me.

"I told you, Tara. I don't answer to you. It's probably a good thing she went to New York." He rasped before brushing past me and storming into the clubhouse. I frowned after him as the hurt in his voice registered in my mind.

"He's been pissed off all day. Don't take it personal." Kozik said as he tossed his wrench into the toolbox and looked out after Happy. I glanced over at him and shook my head slowly. Kozik shrugged.

**This chapter may have some of you worried, but I assure you that this is and will continue to be an Opie/Ana story. Take note that nothing has been confirmed or denied between Happy and Ana as of yet. It will come to light in the next chapter or so, as will the guy's homecoming. As always, let me know what you all think!**


	9. Chapter 9

I started to question my sanity as I held my fist a couple inches away from Happy's door. He and I never had a close relationship but his attitude towards me was a new development that I didn't understand. After calling Ana four times and getting her voicemail, I knew the only thing I could control right now was finding out what was going on with Happy. I took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door, hoping he didn't answer it with a knife at my throat.

"What?" Happy growled as he tossed the door open and looked at me. I took a deep breath, relieved to see his hands free of weapons, not that he was any less dangerous unarmed.

"I need to know what's going on, Happy. We've never been best friends but you were never cruel to me until recently." As I spoke, I realized how childish I sounded. He shook his head and took a step back from the door. I swallowed hard and walked inside his dorm room.

"It's busy with the guys being inside, Tara. I never tried to make anyone think I wasn't an asshole." Happy said as he pushed a rolling chair towards me. I caught it and sat down, noticing immediately that he had several guns disassembled on his bed. His cold eyes were watching me from across the room.

"Trust me, I know the low numbers make everything complicated, Happy. It's just getting a little hard to ignore the rumors about you and Ana. You biting my head off any time I ask about her doesn't help much either." I saw a flash in his eyes before his scowl started. His reaction was expected but scary none the less.

"If they didn't suck dick I'd kick every damn croweater and sweet butt off this fucking lot. You buying in to their shit now, doc?" His jaw clenched and I knew getting him talked back down wasn't going to be easy. I shook my head and looked him in the eyes.

"Happy, it's not just them. Gemma swears you two are," I jumped back as Happy launched off of the wall he was leaning against. He towered over me and glared into my eyes.

"Gemma? She went and put shit in Ope's head didn't she?" Happy growled as his knuckles turned white from clenching into fists so tightly. I immediately regretted having mentioned anything about the rumors or Gemma.

"Happy, it's Gemma. She thinks anything she does is justified as long as she was doing it for the guys." I spoke quickly, hoping Happy would back down a little. Instead, he growled a string of Spanish curses and I could see the vein in his neck starting to bulge.

"Ana bolted because of that shit. That fucking concussion and cuts you bitched at me about are Gemma's fault. She never would have left without me if Gemma wouldn't have worked Ope up and caused that shit between them." Happy moved over to the bed and started reassembling his arsenal with precision.

"I know you love her, Happy. You need to figure out how to get a grip on that before she comes home. Killing Gemma isn't going to help." I took my chances and moved closer to the enraged biker. His hands stopped moving and I could see him start to calm down. He cut his eyes back over at me and shook his head.

"Get out, doc." I could see the silent 'please' in his eyes before he turned his attention back to the gun parts on the bed. My heart fell a little and I wondered how it was possible to prefer him angry to any other emotion. At that moment, with that look in his eyes, I wished he was still glaring and growling at me.

**Ana's POV**

"She looks a lot like you, Knowles." Jensen smiled over at Harper as she slept. I nodded in agreement, even though I saw more of Opie in her than myself. The waitress dropped off our coffees and flitted away.

"I didn't expect you to be there, Jensen." I looked him in the eye and ran my thumb over the lip of my mug. He nodded and pulled the neck of his shirt down just low enough to show a tattoo that made my heart stop. Just over his heart was a script tattoo of Briana's initials and birthday.

"I was planning on proposing to her once we got out of the sandbox. Briana was dying to tell you, Ana. She promised me she wouldn't because I knew if anyone found out that you knew and didn't report it, it'd ruin your career." Jensen gave me an apologetic smile as he stared down at his coffee. I shook my head slowly and started to remember all of the clues that I didn't notice before. She was so excited about getting stateside and leaving the Army. I just thought she was tired of the sand and blood. Guilt suddenly hit me like a freight train.

"Jensen, I'm sorry. I should have made sure she stayed right with me. I never should have looked away." I felt the familiar weight of the memories and pain crashing down on my chest. The tightening of my chest and the pain from the beatings I'd taken made it hard to breathe. Jensen shook his head and grabbed my hand.

"Ana, you're not psychic. You can't keep blaming yourself for Briana dying by the enemy's bullet. Briana would be pissed to know that you're carrying that shit around. She was never happier than when you were happy to. I was supposed to give you this if anything ever happened. I'm sorry it took me so long." Jensen pulled a folded paper out of his wallet and passed it over to me. I ran my thumb over the faded ink on the outside of the note. Briana always insisted on writing notes like we were in middle school.

_Ana-_

_ If you're reading this, then you should know I beat you, again. I'm glad I beat you in the final race though; life wouldn't be the same if you'd won. You always told me not to write these types of letters, but this time it's different._

_ I hope you never read this letter, sis. The problem is, if you're reading this, I didn't make it home with you. If Jensen read this letter, like I told him not to, then you've got to promise to help him. The two of you are the reason I wake up in the mornings! It scares me to think about the pain and guilt you two will put yourselves through if anything happens. I beg you to be happy, Ana. I get that it's going to be hard and you're going to miss my beautiful face, but you can't stop living your life. When you go home, I want your ass on a plane to California. You go home and be with family, Ana._

_ I'm the lucky one, doll. I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise and sit by you on the plane home, but you've got to live for both of us now. You've got to keep my memory alive by being your happy, wild, crazy self. You get all mopey and sad and I'll be forced to knock your bike over and jump up and down on it all ghost-like._

_ Follow you heart, Ana. You've always come to the right decisions eventually and I know you always will. Just remember that you make your own fate, baby girl. You don't answer to anyone once you take that uniform off for the last time. You do you. You do what makes you happy and never apologize for it. Life's too short to worry about what other people think._

_ Find someone who takes care of you, Ana. You've given enough of yourself for everyone else. Never settle for a love that doesn't scare you._

_ Love always, _

_ Briana_

"I needed this, Jensen. Thank you." I said as I folded it back up and stood. Jensen nodded and followed me out of the coffee shop. Neither one of us had even tasted the coffee.

"What did it say?" Jensen asked as we walked towards my rental car. I glanced over at him and raised my brow.

"You've carried this around after all this time and never read it?" He shook his head and I laughed.

"She said it was confidential. I got my own letter that started out with a reminder not to read yours. Did it help you any?" He asked as I loaded Harper back into the SUV. I paused and considered the question.

"Yes and no. It helped me realize that you were right about her wanting me to be happy. But, I feel like I need to revaluate everything I've done over the past couple years since she's been gone." I closed the door quietly and turned to face him. He nodded and pulled me in to a hug.

"It doesn't matter what you've done, Ana. Just focus on what you can do now." Jensen said as he let me out of his grasp. I nodded gave him a small smile.

"I'll try to do better about staying in touch, Jensen." He nodded and turned towards his own car as I got in the driver's seat. I glanced at Harper in my rear view mirror and knew that I couldn't go home just yet.

**RELEASE DAY**

**Happy's POV**

I stared at the ceiling with my back on my bed as the alarm clock shrilled. It finally stopped after being thrown against the wall. I hadn't slept in almost two days, so just the idea of being woken up pissed me off. Everything seemed to piss me off lately though.

"Hap! We got church soon, brother!" Kozik called out as he banged on the door. I didn't bother responding as I swung my legs off the bed and headed out into the bar area.

"No, I haven't heard from her." I said with a sigh as Tara looked over at me. She had made a point to ask me about Ana every day for the last two weeks. It was release day and she had said she would be back for it. Ana made sure to send Tara a text confirming her safety every few days, but she never responded to Tara's replies or answered the phone.

"I just hope she shows up." Tara said quietly as she nursed a cup of coffee. I walked away, unsure if I agreed or not.

**Opie's POV**

"I just want to see my kid and my old lady." I said as Jax and I started throwing shit into bags so we could get out as soon as possible. He nodded and shot me a grin.

"I got you, Ope. You haven't seen them in what, three months?" It had actually been closer to four, but I tried not to dwell on that. She'd written me a few letters and sent pictures of Harper, but it wasn't the same as seeing them. The last visit I had was the day Gemma came down unexpectedly.

"She sounded better in her last letter. Sounded more like the Ana that I knew before she left Charming the first time." I glanced over at the letter on the desk and took a deep breath. She did sound better, but she was also a little distant.

"Winston, Teller, time to go." The guard called as he opened the cell door. I threw the bag over my back and gave Jax a half grin and a nod. We followed the guard out of the cell and made the long walk down to the receiving and discharge area.

**Tara's POV**

"They're here!" Gemma called out as the sound of motorcycles filled the air. I took a deep breath and smiled, happy to have my husband back home. Abel smiled brightly as I picked Thomas up. It still amazed me how much he had grown over the past fourteen months.

The three of us got outside just as the club rolled on to the lot. I smiled brightly and walked over to Gemma, who wrapped her arm around my shoulders with a grin. I caught sight of Jax's bike and felt happy tears welling in my eyes. Opie was right behind him and his hair and beard were noticeably longer. I frowned a little, knowing that Ana had yet to make an appearance.

"Hey baby, welcome home!" I said as I hugged Jax. He smiled and kissed me deeply before taking both Thomas and Abel in his arms. Opie gave his father a hug and then disappeared into the clubhouse. Happy hooked his thumbs in the front of his kutte and scowled.

**Ana's POV**

I stopped my Jeep in front of the Welcome to Charming sign and tapped my thumbs on the steering wheel. Harper was in her car seat making silly noises and laughing. I ran my hand through my hair and smirked at the shaved section at the base of my skull. It was on a whim that I had it shaved, but I loved the way it looked when my hair was pulled up.

"Let's go see your daddy, baby girl." I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and pulled back onto the road. It didn't even take ten minutes at the speed limit to arrive at the garage. I saw the full line of bikes and frowned. I had planned on getting back before the guys did.

"Hey, Ope." I smiled as he opened the door to his dorm. His eyes lit up and a big grin spread on his face as he stepped back to let Harper and I inside. Harper frowned and I knew she was about to start screaming. I bounced her on my hip and made silly faces, hoping she would calm down.

"I missed you, munchkin!" He hugged me and kissed my forehead as Harper started whimpering. I closed my eyes and sighed, hoping Opie wasn't too hurt by her reaction to him.

"I missed you, Ope. She didn't sleep much on the plane baby." I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair. He rested his forehead on mine and closed his eyes. Harper started screaming loudly and hid her face in the crook of my arm.

"Harper, don't cry sweetie." Opie ran his large hand over her dark hair and gave her a weak smile. She looked up at him and calmed down slightly. I passed our daughter over to him and watched as the both of them adjusted to the other. She resembled him even more as he held her in his arms.

"We need to talk, Ana. I've got church in a few minutes. You going to be here when I get out?" Opie asked as Harper pulled on his beard. I nodded and took the giggling girl back with a sigh. He gave me a funny look and nodded before leaving the room without a word.

**Don't be mad but updates are probably going to be slower still. I'm used to night shift now but I'm working on moving into my new place and I'm waiting to get wifi! I'll do the best I can though. **


	10. Chapter 10

"I like your hair." Tara said as I walked over to the bar. I had pulled it back in a ponytail in an attempt to beat the sweltering heat. Harper reached out for Tara, so I passed her over as Abel hugged me around the leg. It felt good to be back with my family after some time away. I glanced over at the closed double doors and swallowed down my worries about what Opie and I's talk would entail.

"I just felt like doing something different. Thanks for watching the house while I was gone, Tara. I know I should have communicated more, but I was working some shit out." I said with an apologetic smile. Tara shook her head and kissed me on the forehead.

"You're my little sister, Ana. You can get away with a lot without apologizing." She said as Harper wound her fingers into Tara's hair. I laughed and silently wondered when she was going to get out of that phase.

"Nice to see you back, Ana." Gemma gave me a tight smile as she walked out of the kitchen. I nodded and diverted my eyes to keep my anger at bay. She and I had a lot of things to hash out, but now wasn't the time or place.

"Good to be back, Gemma." I looked over at Abel, who was playing with Thomas and a set of plastic blocks. Gemma's sour attitude could be felt radiating from where she stood in her three-inch heels.

"Now, it's been a while, so please remind me who it is that you came back for. Is it Chibs, Opie or Happy?" Gemma hissed as she walked around the bar. I smirked at Tara and shook my head before climbing off the stool and stepping toe to toe with Gemma Teller-Morrow.

"If you've got something to say and want to do this now, then by all means, go ahead. You felt the need to express your concerns to Opie, so why not tell me what you really think, Gemma." I was close enough to smell the liquid foundation on her face. She bent her head down closer to me and smiled darkly.

"You think you're some tough bitch with your tattoos and shaved head, don't you? I've got news for you, little girl. You step up to me again and Opie's going to need another old lady. Or is it Happy?" Gemma started to laugh until I shoved her back with all of my strength. She stumbled and caught herself on the bar just in time. Tara stood up with Harper and moved over to keep both of our children at a safe distance.

"Go to hell." I snapped as the back of my hand smacked into the side of her face with a loud pop. The doors to the chapel opened just as she reached out to grab my throat. I smiled and caught her wrist before twisting her arm behind her back and kicking her away. She went flying into a wall and stood stunned for a moment before attempting to get back to me. Happy stepped into her path and stared down at the president's old lady.

"You caused enough shit, Gemma. That crow on your chest is the only thing that's keeping you above ground right now. Taking rumors down to visitation like you did could have cost them their lives. You get distracted for one minute and you've got a shank in your spleen and the club's defense is down. How would you feel if those three kids didn't have fathers because you want to run your fucking mouth?" Happy's eyes were cold lumps of coal as he turned back and looked over at Harper, Thomas and Abel. I swallowed hard and flinched a little as he slammed his fist into the bar and stormed out of the clubhouse.

"Let's go, Ana." Opie nodded towards the door Happy had nearly ripped off the hinges as he pulled me away from the shell shocked Gemma. Tara passed Harper over to me and pulled Opie to the side. I twisted back and forth to keep my daughter calm as Tara and Opie spoke. I couldn't hear any of their conversation, but their body language shifted from tense to relaxed.

"I'll follow you since I don't know where we live anymore." Opie said with a quick kiss to my cheek before he walked over to his bike. I couldn't honestly tell if his comment was light hearted or not, but I took it that way for my nerve's sake.

"This is it. I figured the driveway would be big enough for both the bikes and truck and jeep." I said as I got out of the car. Opie nodded and took his helmet off before following me up to the front door. As soon as the key was in the lock, I froze. Tara had said she was watching the place for me, but I had no way of knowing whether or not the bed was left how it was the morning I left or not.

"I kind of left the place in a mess." I said quickly as I opened the door and walked inside. The living room and kitchen were spotless, which told me someone had in fact cleaned since I'd left. Opie put his bag down by the coat closet and followed me around his new home.

"This is Harper's room." I said with a smile as I opened the door to her nursery. Opie nodded as he walked inside and looked around. He tapped her zoo animal mobile with his finger and smirked as it started spinning around. I watched as he looked up at the mural on the wall. It was a pink princess crown that stood out against the slate grey walls. In the middle of the crown was Harper's name.

"Happy do this?" Opie asked as he ran his hand over our daughter's name. I shifted her over to my other hip and nodded.

"Yeah, he did. Do you want to put her down, babe? It's way past her nap time." I said with a smile as he looked over at me. He nodded and took her into his arms. My heart was racing as I left them alone and headed into the master bedroom. The bed was made and the room was clean, just like the rest of the house. I swallowed hard and sat down on the end of the bed to wait for Opie.

"I don't know how we get back to us, Ope. I missed you." I said as he walked into the room. I shifted my eyes from my shoes to his boots and sighed.

"I missed you too, Ana. Every day." He said as he walked further into the room. The sound of his boots on the hardwood seemed to echo in my ears. He stopped just short of my side and I looked up to see him staring at the bed.

"Just ask, Opie. I can see it behind your eyes." I shook my head and stood up to stand in front of him. He cupped his hands on either side of my face and closed his eyes. I took a deep breath and held it in.

"Has he been in here?" Opie asked as he looked into my eyes. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. He was avoiding the elephant in the room and beating around the bush. My time as a military police officer had left me with a strong hatred of both actions.

"Happy has been in every room, Opie. The club helped me move in here. Jesus Christ, how old are we? Ask what you really want to know, Opie." I narrowed my eyes at him and took a step back. He dropped his hands from me and shook his head.

"Fine, Ana! I want to know if you fucked Happy before or after Harper was born." Opie spat at me. I spun around to face him and slapped him across the face. It left my hand stinging and a red mark on his cheek. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to him.

"You have some damn nerve. Why are you even here, Opie? You seem to have it all figured the fuck out. Why don't you go gossip with Gemma?" I shoved the heels of my palms into his chest and moved out of his reach. He moved towards me and put his hands up.

"All you have to do is tell me it didn't happen, Ana. You haven't answered the fucking question at all." Opie growled as he took another step forward. I shook my head and pointed at the door. My phone started vibrating on top of the dresser and Opie grabbed it before I could reach it. He looked down at the screen and laughed darkly before popping the battery out and putting the pieces back on the dresser.

"Don't back me in a corner, Opie. If you want to talk, we'll talk." I dropped my hand from the gun behind my back and pointed towards the door. He sighed and headed out of the room. I followed him out to the living room after poking my head in and checking on Harper.

"Just tell me, Ana. We can't do anything before I know what happened when I was gone." Opie said as he sat down on the couch. He was leaning on his elbows and looking up at me. I sat down on the arm of the red, oversized chair by the door and gathered my thoughts.

"He was there for me, Opie. We were friends before you went in and that didn't change just because you left. He stayed with me because I hated the way the house felt when it was empty. I hated the void you left me in." I swallowed hard and remembered my last night in Charming. I heard a motorcycle pulling into the driveway and watched Opie's shoulders move with a sigh.

I didn't move to open the door because I knew he had a key. Opie's posture made me frown. It was obvious that he didn't feel at home in the house. I closed my eyes as I heard Happy's key turn in the door just before it opened slowly.

**OPIE's POV**

"Just let yourself in, Hap." I shook my head at him as he closed the door behind him and put his keys in his pocket. Ana didn't move from her perch on the armchair and I could see Happy analyzing the situation. I popped my neck and stared up at the ceiling. Harper started crying loudly and Ana shot off down the hallway, leaving Happy and I alone in the living room.

"We were just having story time. You should hang out so I don't have to track you down." I said as I tossed my knife on to the coffee table. Happy eyed it suspiciously but his expression didn't give me any hints as to where Ana's story was going. Harper was still crying as Ana reemerged from the hallway. Happy looked over at them and I watched as his mouth twitched with a half smile.

"Put the fucking knife away, Opie." Ana growled as she moved Harper over to her opposite hip. Harper's eyes fell on Happy and she reached out for him. Ana sighed and passed our daughter over to the Tacoma Killer. She instantly stopped crying and started pulling at the rings on his hand. I felt sick to my stomach at how not only my old lady but now my daughter seemed to gravitate towards the man.

"I guess Gemma was right about one thing." I admitted as Harper grabbed Happy's middle finger and tried to pull his reaper ring off. Ana looked over at me and furrowed her brow.

"Gemma's rarely right about anything, Ope." Happy rasped as he leaned against the door. I shook my head as Ana reclaimed her seat on the chair arm. She looked from Happy to me and shook her head.

"I didn't use the prison clause, Opie. We shared a bed sometimes but nothing ever happened. I just didn't want to be alone. It had more to do with me than you being gone. You're wrong about him though. He is my best friend. You lost that right today. You should have known the answers you needed without asking me, Opie." I could see the tears forming in her eyes and immediately felt like shit. I stood up and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I'm going to stay at the clubhouse for a while. We can try and figure shit out when you're ready." I brushed my hand over her warm cheek and kissed her forehead gently. She looked up at me and I could tell she didn't want me to go. I nodded, knowing that the only way we'd ever get back on track was taking it slow.

I walked into the clubhouse with one thing on my mind. I grabbed a bottle of beer from the bar and sat down next to Tig. He looked over at me and then back towards the door.

"You forget something back at home?" He asked as he watched for the door to open. I finished the beer off quickly and shook my head.

"Nope." I said, refusing to explain anything about what was going on. The last thing I wanted was yet another person involved. Piney walked out from the dorm hall and scowled as soon as he laid eyes on me.

"The hell are you doing here, son. You've got an old lady and a kid at home and you're drinking with Tig?" Piney roared as he yanked my fresh beer away. I shook my head and rubbed my hand over the back of my neck.

"Pop, leave it alone. She's fine." I said as I took the beer back. He shook his head and slapped me in the back of the head.

"Bullshit, son. You didn't see the shit she went through when you were gone. First you leave her pregnant ass for fourteen months, then she almost gets killed, then she raises the kid by herself and gets kidnapped by the fucking commies and you think she's fine?" Piney took my beer again and threw it against the wall. I raised my brow at him and shook my head.

"What do you mean she got kidnapped? When the fuck was this?" I was on my feet and my fists were clenched. Piney shook his head and laughed darkly.

"Right after you jumped on her ass and called her a whore. If you lose that woman and your kid it's your own damn fault. Happy and Chibs fought to keep her ass alive while you were on your little vacation with Clay." He stormed back towards the dorms, catching a sweet butt around the waist on his way. Tig looked over at me and hitched his shoulder.

**ANA's POV**

"Readjusting takes time, Ana." Happy said as he leaned against Harper's nursery door. I covered her with her favorite Harley Davidson blanket and brushed my hand over her curly hair. She was sleeping peacefully again, oblivious to the shit storm I'd brought us back home to.

"Is this my debriefing, Hap? There's a difference in readjusting and accusing the mother of your child of being a whore." I said as I pulled the door to and followed him back to the living room. He sat down in the red chair and put his head in his hand.

"Yeah, there is. What did happen that night before you left?" He asked as his eyes moved over to me. I pulled my legs beneath me as I sat on the leather ottoman and twisted my mouth.

"Something that needs to stay in the past, Happy." I bit dry skin off my lip and diverted my eyes from him. He shook his head and I could feel his eyes staring at me.

"That's fine, Ana. It can stay wherever you want but I need to know." His voice was soft and I felt my throat constricting. I sighed and strummed my fingers on my thigh. Something in the way he spoke told me he already knew.

"We drank, we talked, we said stuff we can't take back, and we fell asleep together. You were in your boxers because I spilt a beer on you." I said, looking back up at him. He pushed his toothpick over to the other side of his mouth and nodded slowly.

"I meant what I said, Ana." He slid forward in the chair and brought my chin up to look at him. I nodded and smirked a little.

"You remember all of a sudden?" I asked with a laugh. He shrugged and dropped his hand from me.

"I just wanted to know if any pieces were missing. Fix shit with your old man, Ana." He planted a kiss in my hair and left silently. I nodded and stood up to go take a shower to wash away the shitty day.

"Thanks for helping with this, Tara." I climbed down the ladder and looked up at the banner with a smile. She hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek as Abel ran down the hallway after my dog Bronx. I laughed and silently thanked the gods for getting me off the ladder before those two came barreling through.

"I can't believe she's already one! I feel like she was just born yesterday." Tara said with a smile as I folded the ladder up. I nodded and silently appreciated the time having past so quickly. Unlike most mothers, I wasn't heartbroken that Harper could now communicate better and had a better sleeping pattern now. I looked up at her birthday banner and smiled.

"Ope should be glad you didn't make him help decorate." Jax said as he walked in through the front door. I laughed and hitched my shoulder.

"My ceilings aren't that tall. He's picking up the cakes though." I said as Jax kissed me on the cheek. Opie and I had been mending our relationship over the last six months since he'd gotten out of Stockton and we were finally in a good place. He still hadn't moved in full time, but he had a few drawers and a toothbrush in the bathroom.

"Bronx, sit." Happy growled as he walked in with a few wrapped boxes. Bronx did as he said and sat down impatiently. The Akita knew better than to ignore a command, but that didn't keep him from being a loaded gun. As soon as Happy put the boxes down, Bronx took off running and jumped up into his arms. I laughed and shook my head as Happy started wrestling with the dog.

"Hey baby." Opie said as he walked in with two cake boxes. I put the balloons down and hurried over to him. He kissed me on the cheek as he put the cakes down on the dining room table. I opened the first one quickly and felt tears brimming in my eyes at the glitter and large number one. Opie hugged me to his side and opened the second box to reveal Harper's smash cake. It looked like a huge, pink cupcake with roses made out of icing.

"Thank you for picking these up, Ope." I kissed his lips and felt his hand pressing against my lower back. He deepened the kiss and I felt a chill running down my spine.

"Go get the birthday girl ready, babe. I'll finish up in here." He whispered in my ear before kissing my cheek and letting me go. As soon as I stepped out of the dining room, Bronx was right on my heels. I looked down at him and shook my head. He was the self appointed guardian of the house and that included both Harper and I.

"Ana, do you have a minute?" Gemma asked as I tried to wrestle Harper into some pink, lace tights. I glanced over at her and nodded.

"She's adorable, honey. I wish you'd bring her around more often." Gemma said as she waved at my opponent. I smiled and hitched a shoulder as I achieved getting the tights on straight.

"I'm busy with work and trying to fix our family." I said honestly as I pulled Harper's tutu dress over her head. She grabbed the tulle in her hands and started to flap her arms like a bird. I laughed and shook my head.

"When I went to see Opie that day, I never wanted to hurt either one of you. I thought if he talked to you about Happy, you'd put some distance there." Gemma said as she handed me the headband I was trying to reach without letting go of Harper. I took a deep breath and looked over at her.

"Gemma, just because you might have good intentions or can justify your actions doesn't make it right. You need to realize that acting first and thinking later is going to get someone hurt one day. That's the problem with the whole damn club. None of you think before you jump in head first." I kept my tone even to try and avoid an argument. I'd long sense let go of my anger towards her, but I wanted her to realize her actions have consequences. Things would have needed repair when Opie got out regardless of what she did, but it certainly didn't make it any easier.

**Things are getting better for Opie and Ana :) It's still a long road but they're back on track!**


	11. Chapter 11

We had finally finished getting everything put away and cleaned up from the party and I was looking forward to a couple beers and spending some time at home with Ana. Instead, Nita had showed up to watch Harper and Ana was dragging me out of the house without so much as a hint as to where we were going.

"Stop grumbling and follow me, babe. I mean, if you think your bike can keep up. I'll try to take it slow for you." Ana called as she climbed on her Iron 883. I rolled my eyes and strapped my helmet on without taking my eyes off her. She had been smiling and laughing all night and the past couple months had been getting progressively better.

"Hey brother." Happy said as he opened his front door and raised his beer bottle to me. I nodded and walked in behind Ana who was still gloating about leaving me behind back on Main Street.

"You get that you cheated and ran the light, right?" I teased as she rolled her eyes and started digging around in her bag. Happy chuckled and headed over to the table where he'd sat almost two years ago and tattooed Ana's crow on her arm. I raised my brow as she passed him over a paper with a tiny handprint on it.

"Don't be mad, Opie. I wanted to surprise you with this since it's our baby's first birthday and I wanted something to remember it. I'm getting the same thing here below my crow." Ana said with a timid smile. I nodded and kissed her forehead.

"I'm not mad, munchkin." I clapped my hand down on Happy's shoulder and gave him a tight grin. He and I hadn't really talked about what had happened while I was locked up, but neither of us were really the talking type.

"Thanks Hap!" Ana smiled down at her arm and twisted it back and forth to look at all of the angles of the hand print. Her phone started vibrating in her bag and she grabbed it quickly before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and walking out to the front porch. Happy moved his eyes up to me as she left, but didn't say anything or show what he was thinking on his face.

"She's got a way of making you love her. Harper's turning out to be the same way." I said as he started the outline on my shoulder. Happy grunted and kept pushing ink into my skin. "If anything ever happens, you got to take care of them."

"Don't start that shit. You sound like Juice." Happy growled as he dipped the needles in ink. I shook my head and looked over at him.

"I'm serious, Hap. She'd be okay if something happened to me, as long as you were there." I said before he touched the needles to my skin again. He shook his head and started the machine again.

"Not having this bitch conversation with you, brother." It didn't surprise me that he avoided the subject and it told me everything I needed to know. Ana walked back in with a smile and she looked me in the eye.

"That was Tara. She said a group of nurses and doctors want to do a self-defense seminar. She dropped my name and I got the gig. I just have to come up with enough shit to go over for eight hours." She was bubbly and excited, just like the Ana I knew before the war. I gave her a quick kiss as Happy got more ink on the needles.

"Come here, munchkin." I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her over to me with a grin. She giggled and turned on the bedroom light. Ana smiled at me as I brushed hair out of her face and let my hand rest on her cheek. Harper was sound asleep when we got home, likely from a sugar and cake overload.

"Are you going to take me to bed, Ope?" She twisted her finger around my beard before I kissed her. It was slow and teasing at first, just barely touching our lips together. She caught my bottom lip with her teeth and pulled on it slowly before crashing back into my mouth. I hear a little moan and picked her up so she could wrap her legs around my hips. She laughed and tossed her hair back.

"I love you, Anastasia." I kissed her neck as I laid her down on the bed. She looked up at me and nodded, running her palm over my cheek and jaw.

"I love you, Opie. Always have." She whispered before our mouths collided again. She pushed my kutte down my arms as I kicked my boots off so I could crawl further on the bed.

I woke up with Ana's head on my chest and her bare leg thrown over my waist. Harper was crying and I could tell Ana was just starting to stir awake. Moving as carefully as possible, I slid out of bed and pulled some sweat pants on as I walked down the hallway. Bronx lifted his head and looked at me as I walked into the nursery.

"What are you crying for, sweetie?" I picked her up and held her close to me as her wails faded into sobs. I walked around her pink and grey room, studying the various pictures in frames on the walls and on the furniture. She eventually stopped crying and started to fall asleep in my arms.

"That was the day before I left for New York," Ana said. I put the frame back down on the chest and nodded before putting Harper back down into her crib. The picture bothered me and I assumed Ana knew that.

"I wish I could have been here. You shouldn't have had to go through that alone." I said, sitting down in the rocking chair and looking over at the beautiful woman who had somehow fallen in love with me. She'd given me a daughter and somehow grew more beautiful with each day.

"I wasn't alone, Ope. I had Tara and the club, remember?" She smiled and crossed the room, climbing into my lap and tucking her head into the crook of my neck. I nodded and kissed her forehead. That last part was what still got to me. She had the club, but more specifically, she had Happy.

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?" I looked down at her face to see her reaction. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath as she pulled off my shoulder.

"I would tell you that I don't think I believe in marriage anymore. I would tell you that I don't need two rings and a certificate to love you. This doesn't come off, Ope. I'm yours and the state of California doesn't get a say in that." She gestured towards her crow tattoo and I nodded. I didn't disagree with anything she said, but I still felt rejected, even though I didn't technically ask her to marry me.

"What are you hung up on, Ope? Is it the house? We can redecorate and change the wall colors, whatever you want. I just don't know why after six months you still don't seem to feel at home with me." She looked through my eyes and down into my soul, trying to find the missing piece.

"It's not the house, Ana. I want to give you everything, darlin'. I want to be a good father and a good man but I feel like it's not enough. There's always going to be that regret." She shook her head and her glare cut me off. We'd done well at not arguing for the last few weeks, but apparently I fucked that up. She moved off my lap and left the nursery without a word. Bronx huffed and looked from Harper to the door before trotting off after Ana.

**ANA's POV**

"I thought you'd be out here." Opie said as he walked out onto the patio. I nodded and blew a trail of smoke up towards the stars. It was a cool, January night but the clear skies drew me outside. Looking up at the millions of starts, light years away helped me realize that my problems were small in the grand scheme of things. It was a calming technique I'd picked up in Afghanistan where the night sky was sometimes the only beautiful thing around for hundreds of miles.

"What do you want me to do, Opie? I can't go back and change things. To be honest, I wouldn't want to. Everything that happened since the day you went away to now still gives me a beautiful daughter that I wouldn't trade the world for. I just wish her father could see past fourteen months and focus on now. Living in the past will only leave you behind." I said, offering him the joint. He shook his head, so I took another hit.

"Ana, I wasn't there for you. You went through a whole pregnancy, an attempted murder and a fucking kidnapping while I was sitting in prison because of my choice to go along with a plan that I didn't agree with." I shook my head and blew the smoke out with a laugh.

"Opie, you bleed SOA blue. You aren't in the position to deny orders and I get that. You've just got to stop beating yourself up about that and be the Opie I knew and love." He started nodding and kissed my lips gently. I smiled and broke the soft kiss, resting my forehead on his. I looked into his eyes and knew he was still conflicted.

"You should really stop shutting Happy out to. If you can man up and forgive and forget with Chibs then you sure as fuck need to with Happy." I narrowed my eyes at him as his eyes darkened a little. It was obvious that he either didn't believe me after all this time or just didn't like me having friends.

"Alright, Ana. Alright. Try not to get any more of my brothers to fall for you, okay?" He was joking but his words hit me like a sack of bricks to the gut. I forced a small smile and nodded.

"Let's go to sleep, Ope. We've both got an early morning." The swing swung back and forth as I stood up and headed inside, tossing the end of the joint into the can we kept on the porch for cigarette butts.

He held me through the rest of the night. Within minutes of getting back in bed, his breathing evened out and his body relaxed as I just stared at the wall. I tried clearing my mind and convincing myself that all my problems would still be there in the morning, but it didn't work.

"Yeah, I'm on my way." Opie was whispering to avoid waking me up when I had heard his phone vibrating under his pillow well before he woke up. I closed my eyes and rolled onto my stomach as he carefully got out of bed. He was remarkably quiet for someone his size. I kept my eyes closed as he kissed my forehead and told me he loved me.

I heard his boots walk a short distance down the hall and I heard Bronx yawn, so he had to be checking on Harper. Something about that fact made tears start falling down my cheeks. I knew he was a wonderful father and I wondered if I was a better ol' lady if he'd be happier.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I threw my boxing glove covered hands up and let out a loud groan of frustration as Rat backed away from me quickly. Happy was in sliding between the ropes of the ring quickly. I put my knuckles on my hips and glared at him.

"He's helping me practice and plan out that think for Tara's people." I said, annoyed that my rhythm had been disturbed. Happy shook his head and smacked Rat on the back of the head.

"You're lucky her ol' man didn't see this shit. Go do something somewhere else." He snapped. Rat didn't hesitate and moved out of the ring faster than I thought possible. Happy turned to follow him, but I caught him in the arm with a hard left hook.

"If you aren't going to let me beat on Rat then consider yourself volunteered." I smirked and reached out to hit him again. He scowled at me and dodged the jab. I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.

"You know I don't believe you, right? You've got a whole fucking gym and people there you can practice with. What are you taking out on the prospect?" I broke eye contact with him and turned away. Happy's arm shot around my neck and he yanked me back towards him. I grabbed his wrist with both hands and threw my elbows down, breaking the hold long enough to step out of the choke hold.

"The fuck, Happy?" I coughed at him, rubbing my throat. He nodded and gave me a smirk.

"You don't need any practice, Ana." He lifted my chin up with his thumb and checked my neck for any reddening or bruising. There was neither, just as I expected. He bit his bottom lip and took a step back. "If you want to spar, then let's go."

An hour later, Tara was dabbing me with hydrogen peroxide and giving Happy nasty looks. She'd put three stitches in his forehead along with a butterfly bandage on his cheek. I had a busted lip and a swollen cheek. My ribs were sore and red, but I didn't want her to fuss over me or make Happy feel bad.

"What happened?" Opie's voice boomed as he walked into the clubhouse behind Clay, Jax and Chibs. I hissed at the peroxide on my lip and gave Tara a dirty glare for getting distracted and putting that shit on my lip again. Happy pointed the neck of his beer bottle towards me and I rolled my eyes.

"It was a mutual thing. I needed to work on some moves for the St. Thomas class. I'm fine. He's the one with stitches." I said with a light laugh. Apparently, Opie didn't pick up on the light atmosphere I was trying to create. Opie grabbed my chin and turned my head left and right to survey the damage. I shook my head to get him to stop fussing over me.

"She's a big girl, Ope. Well, she's still short but she's a grown woman. Told her you'd be pissed." I flipped Happy off for throwing me under the bus and mentioning my diminutive stature.

"Yeah, I'm fucking pissed. I don't give a fuck why you two fought, you don't lay a hand on my fucking woman. Whatever shit you two have going on needs to stop. That goes for my kid to." At the mention of Harper, Happy's smirk dropped and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I shoved off the couch and stormed over to stand between the two men who had a cumulative two feet on me.

"You don't make those decisions, Opie! You don't punish my daughter for our shit. I may be your ol' lady but I'm not fucking property that you can order around, Opie. I turned in my uniform a long time ago." I snapped, shoving his shoulders for emphasis. I saw his fist ball up and I silently dared him to hit me. I dared him to make my decision for me.

"She's our daughter, Ana. Unless you were lying to me about that." He knew exactly what to say to hit me without touching me. The laws of physics worked against me as I reacted with equal spite.

"Nope, I didn't fuck Happy until after she was born. There! Does that make you feel better? Don't even look at him, he doesn't fucking remember. I told you to stop looking back, Opie. I fucking told you." I shoved past him and bolted out of the clubhouse. I was crying but my eyes were out of tears. My body was out of energy to keep fighting.

"You trying to bring my club down single handedly?" Jax asked as he walked into my house without so much as a knock. I looked up from the suitcase I was throwing clothes into and took a deep breath. He was the last person I expected to see follow me.

"No, I gave him what he wanted. He wanted so badly to believe that something happened between Happy and I. I just wanted him to come home and be with Harper and me. Opie didn't come out of that prison, Jax. Your brother may be home with you but my ol' man isn't." I zipped the suitcase and pulled it onto the floor.

"So you're going to take his kid and run, Ana? That's what your big plan is? Whether he likes it or not, you're his old lady and he was locked up." Jax's gaze was soft and I took a deep breath as I shook my head.

"Yeah, he was. What about when he came home, Jax? What about those first few nights after he got out and he fucked Ima and that redheaded crow eater?" Jax's eyes dropped to the floor and he pulled me into a hug.

"He didn't fuck the redhead. How do you even know about Ima?" I laughed and shook my head as I pulled out of his arms.

"I didn't. I had my suspicions but you just confirmed it. I knew he didn't sleep with the redhead though. You all should really work on your defensives when it comes to interrogation. It's too easy to get the truth out of you just by asking." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the bedroom.

**I realize this chapter may cause an uproar and I'm sorry I'm not sorry. To address some concerns, no this will not become an Ana/Happy fiction. The plan has always been to keep it about Ana/Opie. I realize a lot of you, including me, were rooting for them, but I wanted this fiction to be a little more real instead of the fluff and rainbows I normally write. It's not fair, I know. I don't personally like infidelity, but that's not to say it doesn't have it's role in Sons of Anarchy. The fate of Ana/Opie is really up in the air right now and I haven't decided which way it's going to go. As always, I welcome all reviews good or otherwise so long as they are professional. **

**A/N P.S.**

**I've always loved Opie so please don't think me an Opie hater. He's one of my very favorite characters. Even if this fic doesn't end well for them, I may write a Opie fic in the future that ends well for him.**


	12. Chapter 12

**OPIE's POV**

I rode around Charming and the outskirts all night looking for Ana. Jax had told me about their conversation but I couldn't be mad at him. I knew the only person I could be mad at was myself. Sure, Ana had lied to me about Happy and had been with him at least once while I was locked up but I fucked up. She was obviously trying and seemed to want our family together but my constant doubt wasn't helping anyone. It didn't matter that I was right. It only mattered that she and Harper stayed in my life full time.

The sun was painting the sky with rusty red and deep purples when I turned into the driveway. Ana's Jeep was sitting beside her bike and I felt my chest tighten in front of my sore back. I wasn't getting any younger and the run earlier plus the night of searching took its toll on my body. I cut the engine and stood up, straddling the bike and just looking at the house for a minute.

Ana was sitting in the rocking chair in Harper's room with Bronx at her feet. She moved her eyes up to look at me and I could see the pain in the blue orbs. She wasn't crying, but that didn't make her look any less upset. I didn't move to enter the room. She had made it clear that she wanted space earlier and I didn't want to push her. Harper was sleeping peacefully in her crib and the sight of her made me want to fix Ana and I that much more.

"I'm sorry I lied to you. I thought if you didn't know, you wouldn't be hurt. The night you got out, Happy asked me what had happened the night before I left for New York. I think he suspected something happened, but I just denied it." Ana spoke deliberately and chose her words carefully. I took a deep breath and leaned against the door jamb.

"Ana, when I got out and found everything had changed so much from when I had gone inside, I didn't take it well. It wasn't your fault that life went on while I was behind bars, but I knew that things had changed between us. I thought I was losing you and I tried to ease that pain with a quick fuck. It only made me feel worse." I finished getting it off my chest and felt the slightest wave of relief as she nodded.

"I don't know how to not love you, Opie. When I couldn't bear to feel anything, you were the only thing I couldn't block out. Even when I was doped up, you found a way to break through the haze. Sometimes I hated you for that. I hated loving you sometimes because I knew you wouldn't let me slip away." She stood up and slowly made her way over to me. The weight of her head on my chest broke me down.

"Ana, I can't do this without you. You're the one thing I've never been half in and half out with. I've always been sure I loved you. I want you in my life. Everyday for the rest of my life. You and Harper. That's all that matters." I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me.

"I know you don't want me being close to Happy anymore. I get that. I'm sorry I brought this tension to the club. I know there's already too much going on." I rested my lips on her forehead and shook my head slightly. Taking away the friendship and camaraderie she had with Happy would only serve to push her back towards depression and dependency. Despite everything, I trusted them both.

"What's SAMCRO without too much shit on our plates? Ana, I trust you. I don't have any secrets from you anymore. If we keep it that way, for both of us, I don't see any problem with you and Hap being friends. I'm not going to force it either way, Ana." Her eyes flicked up to mine and she gave me a small nod. I searched her eyes and looked for a sign; something to tell me I was wrong.

"Anastasia, I love you more than life itself. I know where I stand and I don't need a piece of paper to prove it. What I do need is you in my life and sharing it with me. Ana, if something happened to me today, you wouldn't be allowed to make any decisions about what I want. I need you to have that, Ana. I need you and Harper taken care of. More than that, I want you to be more than my ol' lady. I want you as my wife, Anastasia. I want you to have my name. I want to tie myself to you in all ways possible. Ana, marry me. Not for the state of California or for whatever God may be watching, marry me because you want the same thing I do." She didn't say anything as she pulled my mouth down to hers and kissed me like she'd never have the chance again. I pulled her thighs up to wrap around my waist and walked us back into the bedroom.

"Opie, please touch me. I just want to feel all of you." I did as I was asked and slid her shirt up and off her chest. I looked over her ink covered skin and pushed away the thoughts of everything but that moment. I loved every inch of her. Her body reacted to me and arched at my touch. Her stomach was flat again and I knew that one day we'd do it over again. After the dust settles and Charming is safe again, we'd have another child. Being there for her then wouldn't make up for the past, but I'd never let my family down again.

"I don't want a ring, Ope. I want your initials tattooed right here." She ran her thumb over my ring finger and smiled. I nodded and kissed her quickly. It wouldn't be us to share rings. Ink had already documented so many milestones in each of our lives, I wasn't about to break tradition.

"Where'd you go earlier?" I asked, stroking her back with my hand. Her skin was warm and smoothe, contrasting with the feel of her ink. She had her cheek on my chest and drew circles with her finger. We were both content just to lay there in the aftermath of make-up sex.

"The airport. I just looked at all the flights and realized the only place that made sense was home. I'm not stupid, I know this doesn't make it all better but it's a start. We both know where it ends though. Right here. Just like this." I ran my palm over her hair and nodded. Moments later, her breathing leveled out and she curled against me.

I knew that things weren't perfect and we still had a lot of shit to deal with, but having her back in my arms gave me hope. Part of me dreaded going to the clubhouse tomorrow. She wouldn't say it but I knew she had feelings for Happy. That bothered me even though I knew she loved me and was willing to make this work.

**ANA's POV**

I stared into the mirror and looked at my busted lip and bruised cheek. It was nothing compared to how I felt inside. My choices and actions had brought pain to my family and I was willing to do anything to make that right. When I stood there under the flight board yesterday, I realized I was too old to keep running away from my problems. I'd made my bed and it wasn't just about me anymore. I had a daughter with a wonderful man that I had to think about. For that, I would do what I needed to do, even if that included going against what I wanted.

As I pulled on a pair of black, tactical pants, I tried to smile. The mirror showed my mouth curving up, but my eyes just didn't match. I opened the medicine cabinet and narrowed my eyes, looking for a bobby pin in all the mess. My hand knocked Opie's deodorant over and a whole shelf of shit fell into the sink. I groaned and muttered obscenities as I started putting things back in the cabinet.

My hand slowed down as I picked up the orange pill bottle the doctors had given me after my attack and Harper's birth. I don't know why it was still in the cabinet since I'd never taken them back then. Now, holding the medication in my hand, I felt the urge to escape.

Tara had picked up Harper to go to daycare with the boys and Opie had left just after to get some work done at the garage. I didn't have anything to do until two o'clock when I would start the first half of the seminar for St. Thomas. I twisted my mouth and unscrewed the lid. Before I could talk myself out of it, I tossed my head back and dry swallowed the pill down.

"Ana?" I twisted the lid on the bottle quickly and tossed it into the bottom of the basket of towels near the shower. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail as I walked out to the living room. Happy was tugging on the opposite end of Bronx's rope toy as the Akita dangled a couple inches off the ground, refusing to give up.

"Hey," I couldn't really think of anything else to say. Happy glanced over at me and shook the rope one more time before giving in to Bronx and letting him run off to the couch with his rope. He looked at my lip and cheek and smirked.

"If you blocked instead of attacking all the time your lip wouldn't be busted." He said with a shake of his head. I shrugged and pulled up a kitchen barstool to sit on. It was nearly noon and I knew he had to have a reason to come over in the middle of a workday.

"There's corona in the fridge if you want some." I offered as Bronx brought me his rope and waited impatiently for me to throw it. Happy shook his head and leaned on the back of the couch. I tossed the rope down the hall before looking up at him.

"When I asked you what happened that night and you didn't mention it, I thought you didn't remember." He said, twisting his ring around his finger. I laughed and nodded my head. Of course he would remember.

"I didn't want to make things awkward or," I stopped myself short and Happy frowned. I started feeling the numbness creeping over me.

"Or complicated? How'd that work out for you?" I nodded and hitched my shoulder. He narrowed his eyes a little and I looked away. The last thing I wanted was to catch shit from him about the Hydro.

"I need to get ready for that thing down at Saint Thomas." I said, walking down the hall. Bronx was thrashing his rope around violently at the end of the hall as I walked into my bedroom.

"You and Opie make sense, Ana. You've got Harper and everything." Happy said from the doorway. I would have felt a pang from that if I wasn't numb. I pulled a black tank over my sports bra and walked out of the closet.

"Yeah, it makes sense. He asked me to marry him last night." Happy's brow raised before he wiped off any emotion or reaction. I laughed and nodded while sitting down to pull my combat boots on.

"Thought you didn't believe in marriage. You just doing this to make him happy?" He called me out without hesitation. I tucked the laces down the boot shaft and picked up the other boot.

"Like you said, it makes sense. We've got Harper and everything." I parroted back his words and he scowled. He crossed the room and grabbed my chin, forcing my face up towards him.

"Where's the rest, Ana?" I shook my head and knocked his hand away. He narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. "This isn't you, Ana. Fuck what makes sense if it pushes you back to this shit."

"Leave it, Happy. I'm fine." I moved to walk past him and he caught my arm. I cocked my head and shoved him off again. He finally reacted and pushed my shoulders back against the wall. I brought my knee up to his outer thigh sharply and tried to shove him back again. He didn't budge.

"Damnit, Ana. You're going to fuck up and lose everything. Stop putting your fucking head in the sand. If you aren't happy then do something about it. Run or stay but stop pretending." He growled as I finally quit fighting him. I took a deep breath and shook my head.

"I need to head out. I'm fine, Happy." He dropped his hands from my shoulders and shook his head. I moved out from between he and the wall and grabbed my bag and bike keys.

"Be careful, Ana." Happy said as he sat down on his Dyna. I started my bike and nodded while I walked it back and out of the driveway. Something told me he wouldn't say anything to Opie about me using again. At least not yet.


	13. Chapter 13

My body ached from being the practice dummy for twenty women learning how to protect themselves from the big bad world. They had done a fairly good job and I got a lot of good feedback. Tara followed me out to the parking lot as Harper gabbed incoherently. She was adamant about walking beside me instead of having me carry her.

"Are you sure you don't mind watching her tonight? I can come by and get her after I get a shower and everything." I offered as we got to my bike. Tara shook her head with a smile.

"She and Thomas play well together, Ana. It's nice to have another girl in the house." I laughed and nodded, buckling my helmet on and picking Harper up.

"You be good, little girl. I love you." I kissed her forehead before giving her a raspberry to make her giggle. Her laughter was beautiful. Tara gave me a hug once I put Harper back down so she could take her Aunt's hand.

"Are you doing okay?" Tara asked as I mounted my bike. I put my KD's on and nodded with a fake smile. She didn't seem too convinced, but nodded anyways. I started the bike and waved at Harper as they walked to Tara's car. I felt a wobble towards the back as I pulled out of the parking lot. The back tire looked low, so I decided to stop by the garage and air it up before I went home.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I growled as I pulled into the lot. Ima's white Lexus was parked on the lot and she was nowhere to be seen. I rolled my eyes and pulled my bike over to the garage bay door. Unfortunately, the guys had learned to lock the doors finally, so I had to head into the clubhouse to get one of them to open it up for me.

"Hey Pops, you seen Opie?" I asked Piney, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He pointed towards the closed chapel and I nodded, twisting my mouth. I could ask any of them to unlock the garage for me, but I didn't want to seem like I was avoiding Opie.

"You feeling okay, Ana? You look tired." Piney said, handing me a beer. I nodded and took a quick drink. After the pill had worn off, I started feeling the abuse during class and I was drained. My plan was to go home, shower and go to sleep. Instead, I was waiting around at the clubhouse.

"Fucking whore." I muttered as Ima walked out into the bar area from the dorm hallway. Juice was behind her and adjusting his kutte and belt. I rolled my eyes and flipped her off as she glanced over at me. She stopped a few feet away from me and smirked.

"Tell Opie I said hi, sweetheart." She gnawed on her gum and I finished my beer off. She seemed put off by my nod as I got off the barstool and walked towards her.

"Sure, sweetheart, I'll tell him." I said with a wink as I swung with a powerful right hook, connecting painfully with her jaw. It didn't hurt my fist nearly as much as it did her though. Her head snapped around and she stumbled on her four-inch heels. I smirked and prided myself in my self control of not killing her.

"Stay away from me, crazy bitch." She dug around in her suitcase like purse and eventually pulled out a snub nosed revolver. The clubhouse went silent as I narrowed my eyes. I took a step forward with a bright smile.

"Go ahead, Ima. You've got five seconds to shoot me. Five, four…" I continued as I stepped right up to the end of the barrel. She looked around for help, confused as to what I was doing. I reached one and sighed, lazily disarming her and turning the gun back on her.

"You really shouldn't have pulled a gun on me." I growled as Rat banged on the chapel doors to get the guys out. Jax threw the doors open and glared at the prospect before noticing the standoff Ima and I were in. She was crying now and I really considered shooting her to shut her up.

"Ana, what the hell?" Opie asked as he walked up to me. I hitched a shoulder and rolled my eyes. He shook his head and held out his hand for the gun. I dropped the bullets out of the wheel before shoving it in his hand. He sighed and passed it over to Jax before pulling me into a one armed hug.

"Seriously? She almost kills me and you think she's the victim." Ima bitched as Jax handed her the unloaded revolver. I rolled my eyes again and turned my inner arm towards her, showing my crow tattoo for explanation. She huffed and stormed out of the clubhouse, rubbing her jaw.

"I need the garage open so I can air up my back tire." I stated, pulling out of Opie's hug. He lowered his brow and looked me over before nodding and following me outside. Before he could ask what was wrong, I went ahead and told him, "I'm tired."

"You should get new tires, baby. This back one's getting slick." Opie said as he squatted down and filled it with air for me. I nodded and covered my yawn with my hand. He gave me a little smirk and kissed me after he stood back up. I pushed my head onto his chest and wrapped my arms around him. Despite everything going on in my mind, I still loved him and felt safe in his arms.

"Come home with me, baby. I don't want to be alone. Harper is having a sleepover at Tara and Jax's. We can have some alone time together." I gave him a wink as I looked up into his eyes. He frowned and kissed my forehead.

"I can't baby. We've got to head down to Nevada to deal with some shit. I'm sorry." He said painfully as I stepped out of his hug again, nodding slowly and climbing on my bike.

"Be careful, Ope." I called over my engine. His shoulders dropped as he nodded and kissed me goodbye. There was no point in faking a smile before I headed home.

**OPIE'S POV**

I walked into our house as silently as possible. Jax and I had rode ahead to get home ahead of everyone else on the run. We'd been gone for a week and Ana had barely talked to me since I left. I could tell something was bothering her, even without Tara calling Jax out of concern.

Harper was sleeping peacefully in her crib with Bronx curled up in the rocking chair a few feet away. I smiled and straightened her blanket before going into our bedroom to check on Ana. She was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, sound asleep. I laughed until I saw the pill bottle on the nightstand.

"Damnit, Ana." I turned the label towards me, already knowing what it was before I read it. The bottle was almost empty and I wondered when she had started on the thirty pills. The zippo that was engraved with her old Army unit's shield was sitting next to an ashtray with a couple roaches from smoked hand rolled joints.

"Wake up, Ana." I shook her shoulder roughly, causing her to groan and turn her back towards me. She was usually hard to keep from waking up when I got home, so I knew she'd gotten high before going to sleep. I felt my anger rising as I pulled on the chain hanging from the ceiling fan to turn the light on. She grumbled more and buried her face in the pillows.

"Get the fuck up, Ana." I barked at her finally. She growled as she turned over to her back and covered her eyes with her forearm.

"What?" She asked groggily. I yanked her arm off her face and glared into her dull, blue eyes. The dullness sent a knife through my chest. Her eyes were always bright and lively.

"You're daughter is across the hall and you're in here fucked up on Hydros and grass? Seriously?" I lost a lot of my anger out of concern and guilt. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the bottle in my hand.

"Can we not do this right now, Ope? Harper is fine and I'm tired. You can bitch at me in the morning." She mumbled, turning over to her stomach. I shook my head and stood up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking Harper over to Tara and Jax's and then I'm going to the clubhouse." I said, putting the bottle of pills in my pocket. She pushed herself up on her elbows and turned to look at me.

"Don't wake her up just to pawn her off on Tara and Jax. You can stay here. I'll go." She said, sitting up slowly. I sighed and shook my head.

"You can't go anywhere, Ana. You probably can't even walk. Why are you doing this shit again?" I sat down at the foot of the bed and looked her over. She looked over at me and shook her head.

"If you don't know the answer to that then you've obviously not been paying attention. Then again, you haven't exactly been home." She shot at me. I knew how she was when she was using. Ana was either numb or combative.

"Ana, I'm not arguing with you when you're high. Just go back to sleep and we can talk in the morning. I'm serious." I said as she waved me off.

"You, serious? I never would have thought that. When was the last time we had fun or joked around, Ope? Fuck, Happy plays around more than you do." At the mention of my brother's name, I walked out of the room and slammed the door. It wasn't the most mature way to deal with her, but if I didn't leave I'd say or do something I'd regret. I knew she was high and trying to get me to fight her.

"Move." I growled at Bronx. He hopped out of the recliner that I then sat in. I doubted I'd get much sleep, but I had to try. The fight I'd have with Ana about her using again was going to be long and tiring. I almost wondered if I was the right person to try and help her this time.

"Go get in bed, Opie." Ana said, nudging my shoulder as she carried Harper. I ran my hand over my face and looked at her. She didn't even look like the same person that I came home to last night. It made me wonder if it was all just some nightmare but the weight of the almost empty pill bottle stole that hope from me.

"I'm good. We need to talk, Ana." She shook her head and put Harper down so she could walk over to me. I picked her up and gave her a smile as she hugged me. I saw the old Ana in Harper and it was bittersweet.

"There's nothing to talk about, Opie. I was hurting from that thing at Saint Thomas and I took medicine that was prescribed to me." Ana said, deflecting the conversation. I looked up from Harper's smiling face and shook my head.

"So you didn't start taking this until Monday? You don't need four pills a day for being sore, Ana. You know better than to take this shit anyways. What happened to smoking and Tylenol?" I kept my voice level to keep from working her up or upsetting Harper. Ana shook her head and walked out of the room without another word.

"I need your help." I said before closing the phone and putting it back in my pocket. Harper grabbed at my cheeks and giggled innocently. I made a silly face at her and lived vicariously through her. She was a happy baby and I wanted to keep it that way. If Ana and I kept on like this, it would eventually affect her.

**HAPPY'S POV**

I knocked on the front door of Ana and Opie's house for the first time since she'd moved in. It felt weird to not use my key, but I respected Opie and already had enough shit between us without barging into his house. Ana opened the door and laughed angrily. I didn't even have to ask Opie why he called me once I saw the lack luster blue of her eyes and her decreased weight.

"What did I tell you, Ana?" I asked as I walked into the house. She shook her head and tossed the door closed. Harper came trotting down the hallway in front of Opie. She held her hands out and yelled "APPY!"

"Hey kid. You're getting too big." I said, picking her up and squeezing her. She giggled and held her fist up. I tapped my fist on her tiny knuckles as per our routine before putting her back down. She apparently got tired of standing and flopped down on her butt in front of Opie.

"Come on baby girl, we'll get some food while Mommy and Happy talk." Opie said, offering his hand to Harper. She pulled herself up with his thumb in her hand and followed him into the kitchen.

"I didn't ask him to call you." Ana said defensively. I nodded and shrugged my kutte off, hanging it on the back of the barstool.

"Obviously. How many do you have left?" I asked, jumping right into it. I never dealt with her while she was using much, but I remembered how she was in the hospital and had some experience with users in the past. Kozik was ten times worse than Ana a few years ago.

"Four or five if Opie didn't toss them. Why are you here, Happy?" She asked, walking out to the back patio. I sat down in the iron chair as she climbed onto the swing. She was actually less defensive than I thought she would be.

"Opie called me." I said plainly. She narrowed her eyes at me and I knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"That doesn't explain why you showed up. Why do you care?" She sounded agitated and I glanced at the open patio door behind her.

"You know why, Ana. Don't turn this shit around and make it about me. I'm not the one doping up across the hall from the kid." She put her forehead on her knees and pressed her hands on the back of her head. Ana was a good mother and I knew bringing Harper up would get to her.

"I'm tired of hurting all the time. Everything I do either hurts me or someone else." She mumbled onto her legs. I crossed the patio and pulled her off the swing. She tilted her head up to me and bit her bottom lip. It almost hurt not to kiss her.

"Ana, what would make you happy? Fuck everything and everybody else. What would make you happy?" I knew she was too close to me. I could feel Opie's eyes on us but he was the one that called me. I didn't ask to help and I sure as hell didn't ask to love the short, blonde woman in front of me.

"I want to go back." She muttered, looking down at her feet that were between my boots. It was the answer I figured she would give me.

"Then go back, Ana. You know better than I do that you've got to cut the pills out though." She looked up at me and I saw a flash of light in her eyes. I knew she got what she needed even though it was killing me. It was one thing to know she was happy with Opie and her family. That I could deal with. Knowing she was going to jump in the line of fire again scared the shit out of me.

"Don't try to stop her, brother. She needs it if you ever want her to come back." I pulled my kutte back on and left the house to let Ana and Opie figure things out.

**ANA's POV**

I'd been clean for three months and I'd sworn back in last week. It took jumping through hoops and getting married to pull it off, but I was finally headed back to training in the morning. It wasn't easy, leaving my family and my daughter but the part of me that could love them the right way had died in the desert last time. I was headed back to find it.

"At least we get to have a going away party this time." Jax said as he hugged me tightly. I laughed and nodded, hugging him back. Opie smiled weakly and offered me a beer. I shook my head and gave him a smile.

We had a long road ahead of us and despite what the State of California and the Army said we weren't together anymore. By law, we were married but I couldn't ask him to wait for me when I'd hurt him so badly. He was sacrificing a lot for me by raising Harper while I was gone.

I considered myself a horrible mother and rightly so. I was leaving my daughter to fight a war that I didn't believe in. I wasn't fighting for country or pride, I was fighting for myself. I was fighting for what I lost and hoping to come back whole this time. I only hoped that she would understand and forgive me eventually.

"Have you seen Happy?" I asked Juice as I walked past him towards the bathroom. He paused for a minute before nodding and pointing towards Happy's dorm. I gave him a smile and turned to the dorm door instead of the bathroom I was originally headed towards.

"Hey." He said flatly as he opened the door. I walked in to the room when he stepped aside. The door clicked behind me and I turned to look at him. He wasn't smiling or showing any emotion, as usual.

"I wanted to see you before I left." I said with a shrug. He nodded and leaned his back against the door. I walked up towards him and looked into his eyes. He brushed my hair out of my face and gave me a half smile.

"Be careful over there, Ana." I nodded and went to step back. He caught my arm and pulled me back, pressing his lips on to mine. I let myself kiss him back for a moment, just in case I never got the chance again. Loving him didn't make me love Opie or Harper any less and I hoped being away would settle my heart down as well. I needed to come back and settle down. I needed to get off the endless highway of heartbreak.

**That's a wrap, folks. I know that it may have seemed to come out of left field, but the ending relates to a conversation Happy and Ana had while Opie was locked up. At this time, I'm not planning on adding or continuing their story. I want to leave it open to your interpretation and give you the final ending you want, whether that be with Ana/Opie or Ana/Happy. It's open ended for a reason. Thank you all for reading and supporting me as always.**


	14. To continue or not to continue?

**Okay, so this is a glimpse into what I may or may not write to continue this story. If the response from you readers tells me you want another installment to Ana's story, then I'll do it. I'm going to be finishing up two of my current fictions this month so I'm going to have some time for this one. This chapter shows a glimpse into what the story would be about but do note that no pairing decision have been made considering I haven't planned on continuing it until now. Let me know if I should start thinking something up or not :) xoxo Ashley**

Ana was pouring sweat and breathing hard as she walked into her apartment. She had just completed an eight mile run with some of the new soldiers and the heat was getting to her. Georgia summers were a lot harsher than even the hottest summers in Charming. She grabbed a water from the refrigerator and all but collapsed on the couch. At thirty-one, she felt like she might be getting a little old to keep up with the eighteen and nineteen year olds in her unit.

"You always this easy to sneak up on?" The water bottle flung from her hand and she jumped for the gun she kept in the coffee table. She looked up and met the dark eyes of the man that had broken into her apartment. His tattooed arms were folded across his chest and she relaxed slowly.

"What are you doing here, Happy?" She slid the drawer closed without pulling the Beretta out. He might be an enforcer for a notorious motorcycle club, but he didn't pose any threat to her. She just never expected to see him in her living room just off Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia.

"I was in the area." He rasped, looking over her sweat drenched body. She laughed and shook her head. If by in the area he meant thousands of miles away then she guessed he might be right.

"Sure, I'm just a short bike ride from Oakland." She said sarcastically. Happy shrugged and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. He watched her pull her bottom lip between her teeth and shake her head.

"Drunk or not, Ana, you called me last night." She searched her memories and tried to remember doing such a thing. He smirked and pulled her into his arms. She remembered getting hammered last night but she didn't remember calling him.

"Happy, what happened to giving me some time?" Ana asked as he kissed her salty neck. He raked his teeth over the sensitive skin and pulled back to look at her.

"You left four years ago, Ana. Pretty sure that was time." He made his point and moved back to kissing her neck as she fought to suppress a moan.

"Happy, I'm talking about a couple months ago when I visited Harper." She found it hard to string a sentence together with his hands being a thin t-shirt away from her skin. He pretended not to hear her so he didn't have to think about the fight they'd had after her daughter's birthday party.

Ana realized he wasn't going to listen and she didn't want him to, not really. She'd missed the feel of his hands and his lips. She even missed the infuriating way he ignored her to avoid fighting. She wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her thumbs over the barely there hair on the back of his skull.

"Done talking?" He asked against her jaw bone. She nodded and he responded by crashing his mouth onto hers. Ana stopped fighting her body's natural reaction to him and moaned into his kiss. She felt the pulsing coursing through her body as she longed for more of him.

"Can I at least take a shower first?" She asked as he broke their kiss long enough to yank her shirt off. He glowered at her and she took that as a no before kissing him again. She pushed his leather kutte off his shoulders and tugged at the bottom of his shirt, knowing full well that she couldn't reach high enough to take it off of him.

Ana yelped as he popped her on the ass and nudged her towards the bedroom. She assumed he must have explored her apartment before she came home from her run. It didn't exactly surprise her that he'd broken in. He wasn't exactly the type to call and let someone know he was going to be stopping by.

"Do you have a condom?" She asked him as he stripped her shorts and panties down her legs. He nodded and tossed her his wallet after swiftly unhooking it from the chain with one hand. She didn't have any delusions that he didn't fuck the women that threw themselves at him around the clubhouse and on runs. It was part of the life and he wasn't hers to claim.

"New ink?" He growled, kissing the shattered skull tattoo on her thigh. She moaned at his touch and nodded. He kept trailing kisses up her legs until he got to her mound. She could feel the heat radiating off of herself and wondered if he was really about to go down on her after knowing she'd been working out all morning. Then again, it was Happy. He didn't hesitate to flick his tongue over her clit before lapping at her folds.

"Hap-py, Jesus Christ." Ana let her head fall back and closed her eyes as she concentrated on breathing and the impending orgasm he was bringing on. She gripped the pillow behind her head and shuttered as her body clamped down around his three fingers that were still flicking and twisting inside of her. He growled against her clit and it sent her over the edge. He used his free hand to cover her mouth in a futile attempt to muffle her scream.

Happy let her finish riding out her orgasm before he pulled his fingers out and spread the product of his handy work over her sensitive slit. She shuddered under his touch and he smirked, satisfied that he'd set her on fire so quickly. Her blue eyes were hazy with post-orgasm pleasure as he looked up at her face. Her smile was sex drunk as she offered him the condom.

He rolled it on and pulled Ana off the bed by her ankles. She smirked and trailed her tongue up his abs as she rose to her feet. He gritted his teeth and watched her as she rubbed her nipples up his body. Everything he did with this woman was wrong on a serious level, but he realized quite a while ago that he had no damn will power when it came to her.

She saw the wheels turning behind his eyes and bit his chest to snap him out of it. He hissed at the sudden pain, but it had the desired effect. He spun her around and shoved her towards the bed, holding onto her waist so she knew what he wanted. She brought her knees up onto the mattress, barely making contact but ensuring she was in the right position. Happy ran his hands over her ass as she leaned forward and gave him a good view of her body. His balls throbbed as he licked her cheek from her leg to the small of her back where she sported one of the tattoos he'd done for her before she'd left Charming.

Neither spoke as he slammed into her. She moaned at the fullness but he didn't give her time to adjust to him. They'd gone over four months without fucking, so her body wasn't accustomed to his size anymore. As uncomfortable as it was for her at first, he enjoyed every thrust into her tight pussy. The sound of his pelvis slapping against her ass only made it that much better.

She knew he was close by the way his thrusts got harder and choppier. Ana reached back between her legs and gently massaged his balls as he gripped her ass. She felt his dick twitching inside of her as she came again and moaned his name. That was the final straw for him and he joined her, cumming forcefully. He growled and pushed her ass forward and off his dick before popping his neck and heading into the attached bathroom he'd found earlier.

Ana moaned at her jello like legs as she made her way into the bathroom to take a shower. Happy already had it turned on for her, which made her grin. He leaned against the sink and watched her step into the shower that was already filling the room with steam. She tried not to look at him as she ran the sponge between her legs. He watched her dry off and his eyes fell to one of the more significant tattoos he'd inked on her skin.

"Hap, don't." Ana said as she watched him watch her drying her crow tattoo off. He nodded and walked out of the bathroom to get dressed. She wondered if he just expected the tattoo to fly off her skin since she and Opie had separated before she left.

"What's the plan, Ana?" He was sitting on the corner of her bed as she walked out, wrapped in the oversized towel. She tried his trick and ignored his question as she grabbed some underwear out of her dresser. His dark eyes followed her as she made her way into the closet. "Ana."

"I don't know, Happy. I haven't even started packing yet." She still had a couple months before she would be getting her DD-214 and moving back to Charming, California. That was supposed to mean she had a couple more months to figure out what was going to happen when she got there.

"I noticed." He growled, looking around at all the shit she'd accumulated over the past four years. All that was in addition to what she still had back in Charming. She smiled a little and hitched her shoulder.

"Come out with me tonight, Hap. I don't want to be the fifth wheel." Ana assumed he would say no. He wasn't really the type to enjoy meeting new people. Happy looked up at her as she walked out of the closet. She was wearing a white peasant top with long sleeves and a pair of denim shorts that barely extended past the bottom of the shirt. The top was almost see through it was so thin. He felt his dick twitch again as he nodded.

"Okay, Ana." He surprised himself by agreeing but knew he made the right decision when he saw her smile. She ran her hands over his shoulders and lowered herself down onto his lap.

"I missed you, Hap." She whispered before kissing him. It was gentle at first. Then it seemed to heat up when he joined in and tangled his hands into her wet hair. She moaned and pulled back, carefully taking her top off. He smirked and lowered his mouth onto the top of her breast while she took her bra off for him. He was getting ready to move his lips over the rosy nipple when her phone started vibrating in the living room.

"Go," He rasped, removing his hands from her thighs. She nodded and hurried into the living room to answer the phone. Happy adjusted his jeans and headed to the kitchen for something to drink. Ana looked up at him as he walked past her.

"Have a good first day, baby. Remember to be nice and no hitting anyone, Harper." Ana smiled sadly and wished her decision to leave Charming four years ago didn't take her away from her daughter for so long. It was her first day of kindergarten, which was the reason Ana had gone out and gotten hammered last night. She looked up at Happy and narrowed her eyes at his back.

"I didn't call you last night, did I?" Ana asked as Happy offered her a beer from her own refrigerator. He smirked when she took it and then took a good, long pull from his own.

"Maybe not, but I figured today would be a bitch on you." It was rare, caring moments like these that made it so hard for Ana to stay away from Happy. He was a hardened criminal with more than enough kills under his belt, but he still had it in his heart to care about her. She nodded and twisted the cap off.

"Yeah, I guess you were right." Ana said before taking a drink and swallowing the beer and her tears down. Happy noticed the crack in her voice and put his beer down before pulling her back into his arms.

Ana's plans for the evening fell through, so she and Happy ended up in a dive bar just off base. She was on her fourth shot of tequila and he made sure to stick to beer, knowing she would need help getting back into the Jeep and up to her apartment. He nodded and half listened as she talked about her comrades and her final tour overseas. She'd already told him most of the stories over the phone.

"Is he still with that skank?" She slurred after a couple more shots. Happy looked over at her and wondered why she was bringing that shit up. He nodded and slid her shot glass away before she threw it back. She rolled her eyes and propped her elbow up on the bar.

"I don't like a prostitute being around Harper." Ana said with a snarl. Happy already knew this as well. Tara had confronted Opie about it last week after a long phone conversation with her sister. He'd blown up about Ana being the one who left and reminded everyone that it was his daughter to.

"We know, Ana. There's not much you can do on the other side of the country." Happy said, hoping she'd see reason and move on to another subject. She scoffed and tossed her full shot glass against the back wall of the bar. Happy grimaced and slammed some bills onto the bar top before escorting her out to the jeep.

"He blames me and says I didn't try. I did try, Hap. I never meant to hurt anyone." She mumbled as he backed out of the parking lot. He looked over at Ana and ground his teeth together. He knew she had tried but he also knew she never meant to get so tied down either.

"I know, Ana. It would have been worse if you stayed." He wasn't sure why he even tried to hold a conversation with her when she was drunk, but it needed to be said. She surprised him by nodding in agreement and letting out a sigh.

"Am I a bad mom, Happy?" Ana looked over at him and nodded as he thought about his answer. She knew she was a bad mother the minute she left Charming.

"You aren't going to be winning any awards but you love the kid. She'll understand when she's older. She's young enough that you still have time to make it up to her." Happy said, wondering if any of this was even getting through to her. She twisted her mouth and sighed dramatically.

"When do you have to go back?" Ana asked as she half fell out of the Jeep. Happy caught her arm and helped her back into her apartment before she collapsed on the couch. He smirked at her goofy grin and locked the door.

"Monday morning." Happy said as Ana nodded. It was only two in the morning on Saturday morning, so she figured that was plenty of time to decide between the man in her living room and the father of her child. She hadn't decided in the past four years and this weekend was as good as time as any.


	15. Chapter 15

"Where are you staying when you come back?" Ana rolled her eyes at Opie's question and waved a young private out of her office. She didn't want to waste her lunch time arguing with her estranged husband, but he had a point.

"I'm staying in the home that I bought while you were in prison, Opie. Don't tell me that prostitute has been staying in my house." She growled, thinking about Winsome in her house made her blood boil. Opie scoffed and she could hear the irritation clearly over the phone.

"She's not an escort anymore, Ana. She's been here but she's been living up at the cabin." Ana gritted her teeth and made her mind up to hire a cleaning company to disinfect the house as soon as possible.

"Once a prostitute always a prostitute, Ope. Only difference is you're paying her with a place to live instead of a twenty dollar bill. Harper doesn't need that type of person in her life." Ana heard what sounded like a bottle hitting a bar top and sighed. She hated fighting with Opie but it had been their norm for over two years. He hated that she left and she hated that he thought she didn't care.

"How would you know, Ana? You've seen our daughter for a total of what, three months over the past four years? I gotta go." He ended the call before Ana could respond. She slammed the receiver down on the cradle and kicked away from the desk. What could she even say to that? It was true, after all.

"Sarge, you okay?" The private she'd shooed away asked, ducking her head back in the doorway. Ana nodded and rose to her feet.

"I'm good, Huffman. You need something?" Ana grabbed her beret and headed down the hall. The private nodded and hurried to catch up with Ana.

"Well, there's a situation at the gate. Django signaled and the owner of the car is refusing a search." Ana groaned and wondered if her day could get any worse. She had one more month in the Army and it seemed to be retaliating at every opportunity.

"That's not how this works, Huffman. They try to enter or exit this base and they submit to search. Who's the driver?" Ana asked, pulling on her beret and opening the door with her hip. Huffman fumbled with her own beret and jogged to catch up to Ana.

"That'd be Colonel Grant, Sarge." Ana nodded calmly but inside she was wondering if this was karma's way for shacking up with Happy four weekends ago. She walked up to the pull off where her soldiers had diverted the colonel to. Django, one of their K-9's, was sitting patiently a few feet away from the car.

"Colonel Grant," Ana saluted him and resisted an eye roll as he just waved it off. It was common custom and courtesy to salute back. "Sir, I understand our K-9 signaled during his routine scan of your car."

"Dogs can be wrong, Knowles. Hell, I've got lunch in here. He's probably hungry." Ana chuckled but it was just an attempt to diffuse the situation. The colonel gave her a smile and put the sandwich back down on the passenger seat.

"Be that as it may, we've got to perform a search, sir. Just following policies." Ana said carefully. The colonel exited his car and stepped up to her with a scowl. She had to resist laughing at the man's attempt to intimidate her. If he had any idea who she grew up with and claimed as family, he would know his scowl wouldn't phase her.

"You do it, Sergeant Knowles. I don't want these children scratching up my car." Ana scowled back and resented the older man referring to her fellow soldiers as children. Sure, they were a good deal younger than both she and the colonel, but they'd taken the same oath of enlistment as every other soldier.

"Smith, where did the dog signal?" Ana asked, side stepping the colonel and taking gloves out of her back pocket. Officer or not, she wasn't about to search a car without universal precautions. Smith pointed at the passenger door and Ana nodded, walking around and opening the door. "Django, search."

The dog did as he was told and came up to the car. Just as Ana suspected, he ignored the sandwich in the seat and turned his nose to the glovebox. He sat down and barked once. Ana nodded and tossed him a tennis ball as a motivational reward. She took a deep breath, dreading what she would find and the paperwork that would surely follow. Sure enough, she found a baggy of marijuana tucked away in the car owner's manual.

"Hey." Ana slid down into her bubble bath and smiled at the voice on the other end of the line. The day had gone to shit after finding the marijuana in the Colonel's car and she just wanted to relax.

"Hey, sorry I missed your call. I was swamped at work." Ana explained, setting the phone to speaker mode so she could scoop the bubbles up over her chest. The smell of lavender and honey filled the bathroom and helped mellow her out.

"It's fine. What are you doing?" Happy asked, shoving the croweater off his neck and getting up to walk outside. Ana smirked and felt her cheeks turn pink.

"I'm taking a bubble bath." She admitted, knowing what that would do to him. She bit her lip at his growl and felt herself responding to the sound as if he were there with her.

"Damn, woman. You trying to get me on another plane?" Ana laughed and shook her head. He hated flying and the turbulence on the way back to California only solidified that hatred even more.

"I'm sure you have plenty of ways to get you needs met without risking your life in a flying cage." Ana teased light heartedly. Happy nodded and wondered whether or not he should tell her he hadn't been with any of them since he'd gotten back from Georgia. She probably wouldn't believe him and he was too proud to admit it.

"Not the same. You talk to Ope?" Ana lost what progress she'd made on getting herself off and huffed.

"I did but it just turned into a fight about the house and Winsome." She heard Happy's teeth gritting and rolled her head back to rest on the edge of the tub. The last thing she wanted after a day like she'd had was to fight with Happy.

"You change your mind?" He growled, lighting the first cigarette he'd had all week. He was working on quitting but he needed the nicotine to keep him from popping off at her.

"No, Hap. I haven't changed my mind. I'll talk to him tomorrow. It's my off day so I can spend more time arguing with him then." Ana said, wishing she'd waited to call Happy until after her bath.

"Nah, tomorrow's run doesn't need any distractions. Call him Friday." Happy said, looking over at Opie as he walked into the clubhouse with Harper on his shoulders and Winsome holding his hand. It started irritating him to see his brother letting Harper spend so much time with a prostitute, retired or not. It wasn't his kid though.

"Okay then. Want to change the subject so I can get back to touching myself to your voice?" Ana asked, knowing it would snap him off the topic quickly. She smiled at his raspy chuckle and slid her hand down over her breasts and between her legs.

"I tuned your bike up today. Damn thing is tiny like you." Happy said, thinking about the Iron 883 that was sitting in Jax's garage. Jax was the only brother that knew about he and Ana, thanks to Tara. Happy didn't mind too much. He knew Jax would keep his mouth shut and it gave him someone to talk to about it on the rare occasion he wanted to talk. It also made it so he didn't have to lie about his time away from the club last month.

"Thanks, Hap. You want to take a ride somewhere when I get back?" Ana purred as his voice helped her along. He could read a motorcycle manual to her and it would put her in the mood.

"That's not gonna be the first thing you take a ride on, little girl. We can go somewhere though." Happy flicked the half smoked cigarette away, no longer needing the barrier. Ana smiled and her breathing got choppier. Happy smirked. "You getting there?"

"Mhmmm, just keep talking." Ana whimpered as she arched her back, pushing her breasts out of the water. She had her eyes closed, visualizing his dark eyes looking at her.

"Woman, you need to get you pretty ass back to Charming. My bed's waiting on you. So is my couch and my bike." He broke into a full smile when he heard her moan his name. He was hard as a rock and wished he could bury himself inside of her.

"Thanks, Hap." Ana said with a sigh of relief. He laughed and nodded his head for his own benefit. It felt good to know he could get her off from so far away.

"My pleasure, little girl. I know you'll return the favor when you can. Get some sleep." Ana smiled and stood up out of the water. She grabbed a towel out of the warmer and stretched her back.

"Goodnight Hap." She ended the call with a little twist of her mouth. Across the country, Happy tapped his phone against the heel of his hand and took a deep breath. Opie gave him a nod as Winsome and Harper followed him out of the clubhouse, hand in hand. Happy knew there was going to be all kinds of hell when Ana got home.

Ana crawled into bed and swiped through pictures of Harper on her phone. It was an almost nightly routine for Ana. She smiled at the pictures of her little girl laughing and playing. She bit her lip and felt her chest tighten at the candid shots that showed her reading or sleeping. She'd just started to talk and walk when Ana first left.

She woke up and stretched with a yawn. Ana glanced over at the clock and rolled her eyes at the early hour. She was so used to getting up at the crack of dawn that seven o'clock in the morning was the latest she could sleep in. Even on her off days. Luckily, she could fill her time with packing what she probably wouldn't use before the move.

Ana started putting boxes together and loading them with pictures and odds and ends. She finished one room by lunch time without even noticing she hadn't eaten breakfast. She checked her phone and realized what time it was with a start. Ana showered and got dressed quickly, piling her hair up on the top of her head in a quick and easy twist.

It was an important day and she had jitters. She parked her Jeep outside of the church and took a deep breath, letting it out slow and steady. The sun was beating down on her again but she was almost getting used to it. Luckily, she wouldn't have to deal with it for very much longer.

Ana sat down in a cold, metal chair in the basement of the church she'd been meeting at every week when she'd been stateside. She never went for the stale cookies or the tar like coffee, but the company was good. The chairs started filling up and several attendees would nod or wave to her as they came in.

The meeting went along much like every other meeting. There were introductions and confessions before the ceremony took place. Ana smiled and walked up to the front of the group as everyone clapped. The token in her hand seemed to solidify her decision to go home after one term of enlistment. She looked at the four years etched into the gold token and smiled brightly. She'd made it four years with no relapse. Ana felt good about her accomplishment and her decision to go home.

There was no doubt in her mind that going back to Charming was going to test her sobriety and her patience, but if she could get through two more tours overseas and four years of being away from her daughter then she could handle the drama that came with going home.

She was determined to handle it alone. Sure, she'd spend time with her family but she wasn't going to burden them with her problems. Ana was going to do things right this time around. She'd be as strong as she should have been when she first came back.

**Just another teaser that was bouncing around in my head today. :) I hope you like it!**


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